His, and only his
by 1stpassioniting
Summary: Isabella Swan, a 17 years old girl who stays away from people. Why? Because meeting people builds relations and expectations which are always meant to be broken. No meeting people, no relations, no expectations. Ultimate advantage-no heartache no heartbreak. Edward Cullen, a 19 years old guy who loves breaking hearts because that's what they're meant for. Now, he's after Bella.
1. Chapter 1

**CHARACTERS**

Isabella Marie Swan, Edward Cullen - Alpha

Alice Matthews, Jasper Montero - Beta

Rosalie Fox, Emmett Parker - Gamma

Emily Jacob, Carlisle Patterson - Delta

Megan Croft, Tyler Seth - Epsilon

 **CHAPTER 1**

I checked my bag and made sure that I had all my books. They were all there. I zipped it up and wore it on my shoulders. I ran a careless hand through my hair and tied my shoelaces.

"Bella, your breakfast's ready" came Jeff's voice.

I smiled as I smelt my favorite beacon eggs and sprinted out of my room. I saw Jeff placing the plate on the table. I tried to control my speed but couldn't. Before I could collide in him, he turned in the nick of time and stopped me by placing his hands on my shoulders. Gratefully, I looked up and found him grinning at me.

"You really need to learn to control your speed girl" he said affectionately as he pinched my nose lightly.

I smiled and slapped his hand away. "I'm hungry" I said.

Jeff sighed and stepped aside. "All yours" he gestured towards the plate filled with beacon eggs and bread along with a glass of milk. I immediately sat on the chair and began to eat it, savoring every bite. Jeff was a really good cook, the best in the world.

I felt his gaze on me as I ate and looked at him.

"What?"

"You didn't look in the mirror." It was a statement, not a question. I shrugged.

He sighed again. "Eat" he ordered. I turned my attention back to the delicious food as I felt his hands combing through my shoulder length hair. Within moments, he braided my hair.

"There" he said in a satisfied voice, "much better."

I continued eating.

Jeff sat in front of me and folded his hands on the table with a serious face. "I'm going to introduce some new rules in this house" he said firmly. I braced myself. I knew what was coming. "From now on, you're going to start learning to look into a mirror, _everyday_."

I groaned. I knew he was going to say that.

"You are actually going to pay attention to the way you look" Jeff continued, "You will choose your clothes with care and you will apply some make up. Since today it's your first day, I'm letting you have your way. But from tomorrow, it's going to be my way. Are we clear on this?"

I nodded but I had already started thinking of ways to talk Jeff out of these rules. He understood it immediately. "No Bella" he said firmly. "This time I won't let you talk me out of anything. When I said I want to do a new beginning, I meant it completely. We are in this together, so you are going to listen to me and will do what I say, especially when I'm right which is most of the time" he finished with a grin.

I scowled at him but that only made him grin wider.

"Here's your lunch" he picked up a plastic box from nearby and put it next to my plate. I smiled. I knew what was there in it. Mutton biryani with my favorite chocolate cake. Jeff always gave it to me on my first day of school.

I finished my meal and put the box in my bag. Jeff brought a bowl of water in which I washed my hands. He never lets me go the washroom to wash my hands after I finish my meals. When he did this for the first time and I asked the reason, he said that I should be mentally prepared that I may not get good facilities everywhere. So I should know how to survive and adjust in every kind of surrounding.

"Water is everywhere Bella" he'd said, "you just need to find it."

I hadn't understood everything completely but I hadn't argued. For his happiness, most of the time I did whatever he asked of me.

I got up. Jeff stood in front of me and placed his hands on my shoulders.

"Look at me" he commanded.

I looked at him.

"Relax" he said.

I did and began to breathe calmly. I knew I would be able to do this only for two minutes as I would be looking in Jeff's brilliant green eyes for that amount of time. His eyes were a startling light green with deep and long eyelashes. I looked at his perfectly shaped eyebrows and marveled at his glowing fair skin. His rosy lips and short nose were always eye catching. His wavy long hair gave him a killer look. He towered over my five feet five inches height with his five feet ten inches tall frame and his slim gorgeous body could make any girl go mad.

"Promise me" he said in a soft voice. "Promise me that you will try."

I cringed slightly but I nodded. Jeff patted my cheek softly and cupped it.

"I'm not asking you to push yourself too hard. I just want you to make an attempt, will you do that, for me?"

I nodded. Jeff smiled and pulled me in his warm embrace. I sighed as I breathed in his scent deeply and closed my eyes against his chest. This was the best place in this world, the only place where I knew I could be myself. The only place where I was safe, for the time being.

"I love you" he whispered.

"Ditto" I muttered and smiled at his chuckle.

He tightened his arms around me for a moment then let me go.

"Go now" he said with a smile and punched my cheek playfully. "Good luck, and take care. I will see you tonight."

I stood on my tiptoes and kissed his cheeks.

"Take care, and be safe" I whispered.

He nodded with a smile and gave me a gentle push.

"Go" he said.

I turned and opened the gate. As soon as I stepped out of the house, I laughed with joy. A beautiful red bike was standing right in front of me. I ran to it and carefully touched its seat. The leather felt smooth and perfect under my skin. I gently touched its handles and ran my hands all over it, loving its feel.

"It's not going to drive by itself you know" came an amused voice from behind.

I smiled and ran back. Jeff laughed as I jumped in his arms and he twirled me around in circles. I covered his face with kisses. "You are the best" I said in an ecstatic voice.

"Tell me something new girl" he said with a laugh and I punched him playfully in his ribs.

"When did you get it? From where?" I asked excitedly.

"I got it here yesterday" Jeff replied as he unlocked the chains. "I booked it three months back."

"Since how long had you had been planning to move here?" I asked. I wasn't surprised with this news though. Jeff was an expert in long term planning.

"Six months before" Jeff replied as he checked the wheels. "I was hoping to collect enough money to buy it by the end of two months but it took much longer than I expected. Still, it's good you got it on your first day. That's far better."

My face dropped as soon as Jeff mentioned about money. The bike was definitely costly. But before I could ask its cost, Jeff turned and caught my upper arms tightly.

"Don't" he instructed firmly. "Don't think about it. You have a new bike and you're going to enjoy riding it, okay?"

"But we're as it is on a shoe string budget..."

"I said don't think about it" Jeff interrupted me. "I have it under control. Do you trust me?"

I nodded. Jeff looked at me for a long moment. When he was satisfied that I meant it, he smiled.

"Good. Ready now?"

I nodded again. Jeff brought out the new key from his pocket that hung from a lovely key ring. I looked at it carefully. It was a heart shaped key ring that had a picture of me and Jeff together. Emotion rose within me but I crushed it. No, I wasn't going to cry. I took the key from Jeff and smiled as I kissed his cheek once again.

"You are the best" I whispered again. He smiled and kissed my forehead.

"All the best Bella. Stay safe" he whispered.

I nodded and excitedly climbed on my bike. Jeff raised his hand in farewell as I rode out of our compound. The highway was empty so I rode the bike quickly. The cool strong wind and high speed thrilled me as I passed by the trees.

We had shifted to Durango, a beautiful place in Colorado a week back. Jeff had searched for a place online and I had fallen in love with it the moment I had seen it. I breathed in the scent of flowers as I rode by the cliff side.

I was going to reach Lillibet School of Durango within ten minutes. Today was my first day. I hoped I was able to keep my promise to Jeff, the promise to interact with people, the promise to try to make friends.

Well, I was going to find out pretty soon.


	2. Chapter 1 continuation

"So you are Isabella Marie Swan" the lady seated at the reception smiled at me. She had a jovial face. Her eyes twinkled behind her spectacles and though she appeared helpful, I couldn't smile back. I just couldn't. So instead, I just nodded.

"Welcome to Lillibet School" she seemed unfazed my non smiling face and gave me my books and schedule. "The locker room is at the right end of the corridor" she told me before I could ask her.

"Thank you" I said politely. I turned to leave but stopped when I felt a hand on my arm. I turned and found her holding my arm in a light but a firm grasp. I read her name on her badge. She was Mrs. Fisher.

"Isabella" she said quietly. "If you need any help, feel free to come to me. Don't hesitate at all, okay?" I was surprised. Were receptionists supposed to be so helpful? I looked at Mrs. Fisher carefully. She was plump and her blonde hair was tied in a tight bun. She looked absolutely sincere.

"Um, thank you" I said awkwardly. It was awkward for me. I wasn't used to taking help from people. I wasn't used to people offering to help me. But Mrs. Fisher seemed to be enthusiastic about it. She opened her bag and took out her card.

"This is my private number" she said as she handed over the card to me. "You can call me anytime, during school or after school, okay? I'll be available all the time."

Okay, now this was starting to get really weird. Why would I need to call her after school? And why was she going to be available for me all the time? Like Mrs. Fisher, something was really fishy here. I would have to talk to Jeff about it tonight. But I sincerely hoped that he didn't decide to move. I liked the quiet beauty and peace of Durango. I didn't want to leave, at least not so soon. But right now I had to reach my class and didn't have time to dwell upon these things so I took the card.

"Thank you" I said again and left quickly before Mrs. Fisher decided to offer me some more help.

The corridor was full of students as they talked and moved around carelessly. I kept my head down as I carefully moved towards the end of the corridor. I didn't want to draw any attention to myself. Thankfully, nobody looked my way and I reached the locker room. I located my locker and quickly kept all my books inside.

"Hey newbie" I heard a voice from behind me.

I turned and saw a tall fair girl in a yellow cheerleading dress smiling at me. She held golden pomp pomps in her hands. Her black hair was tied in two side braids and she wore a thick layer of lip gloss and mascara. I tensed. If a cheerleading girl smiles at you, it means trouble. But my instinct said that she wasn't bad. Her smile appeared genuine. And her silver eyes, well, I couldn't see any malice in them. But still, the past experiences and lessons prevented me from warming up to her immediately.

"Hi" I said cautiously.

The girl's smile got bigger, as if she could understand my situation and that's why was trying to appear more friendly.

"You must be Isabella Marie Swan, right?"

I nodded.

She brought her hand in front. "Hi, I'm Alice Matthews, co-captain of the school's cheerleading team and Vice President of the student body. It is my duty to show you around."

A co-captain of the cheerleading team was being nice to me, that was certainly a first. I remembered the way the cheerleading captain of my previous school had tried to strangle me to death just because she had suspected me of hitting on her boyfriend. I didn't want to recall it now so I nodded again. But I still didn't trust Alice completely. So I mentally prepared myself for hell.

Fortunately, it turned out that Alice was actually a nice person. She gave me the entire school's tour and though I didn't show but I couldn't help being impressed. The school was small but it was spacious and beautiful.

"We have a college associated with the school" Alice said as I walked with her in the garden. "In order to prepare us for the outer world, the school and college often give us combined projects. Of course the college students don't like it since they hate working with _babies_ " she chuckled, "but if you get a good partner then it's really fun."

I felt a knot form in my stomach. College students didn't like working with babies, it meant that they definitely made their life a hell. Durango suddenly didn't appear so good anymore. I felt Alice nudging my arm and looked at her.

"What?"

"Where are you from?" asked Johanna.

I tensed but tried to calm myself. I'd promised Jeff that I would try to make friends.

"Boston" I replied after a moment.

Alice's eyes widened. "And from Boston you came here, why?"

"I like the quiet" I replied automatically. I wasn't going to tell her my sob story of nearly being murdered in my old school multiple times.

"Oh" Alice looked at me carefully. Conscious, I looked away. I didn't like it when people stared at me. That brought me to their attention.

"So whom do you live with?" she asked after sometime.

"Alone" I lied smoothly. I was never going to tell anyone about Jeff.

"Where do you stay?"

Her questions were starting to irritate me but I controlled myself. This was a normal conversation, something that I hadn't had in a long time. Besides, I'd promised Jeff that I would try to talk with people.

"I stay in the woods" I replied.

"Alone?" now she was really shocked.

"I like the quiet" I repeated.

"What about your parents?"

I winced. It had always been a touchy subject. But I wasn't going to tell her everything. I didn't need another hurtful reminder of being the unwanted.

"I left home when I was six. I've been on my own since then" I replied quietly.

Strangely, I didn't feel a thing, no hurt, no pain, not even emptiness. That was certainly a sign. It meant that I had started moving on from that part of my past at least.

Alice pursed her lips and I mentally smacked myself for speaking the truth. I should have come up with a lie like my parents were living in New York but I liked being on my own so I moved here. Now she would wonder why had I run away from home. Was it because my parents were abusive? Damn! I shouldn't have spoken the truth.

But I couldn't risk lying either. I'd tried that before and the situation had blown up on my face very badly. I was making a fresh start her. I didn't want to complicate it with too many lies.

"Would you like to sit with me?" she asked. "We have the same classes today."

Surprised, I looked at her. She sounded sincere, and there was no disgust in her eyes after I by mistake blurted out the truth.

"Um, sure" I replied after a moment.

She smiled and lead me to our first class.

By lunch time, I'd begun to relax in Alice's company. It was very little but it was a start. She didn't ask me anything about my parents or my past. Instead she told me about herself and her family. She was the only child of her parents since her elder brother had died in a car accident because of which her parents were over protective about her. Sometimes it got on her nerves but she adjusted because she could see their worry and concern.

I was okay with listening but actually I was bothered. The problem was, I didn't believe Alice. I couldn't help feeling that she was lying to me. But I had learnt the art of masking my emotions a long time back. So she didn't get even the slightest hint that I didn't believe her.

She was a bit strange too. Despite being the co-captain of the cheerleading team and the Vice President of the student body, she didn't seem to have any friends. She talked, joked and laughed with everyone but she didn't hang out with anyone. Now that was really weird. Weren't the cheerleaders supposed to be popular? Shouldn't people be scared of them? I couldn't understand what was going on. Why had Alice offered me to hang out with her?

All these questions were going on in my mind but strangely, I didn't doubt Alice. I didn't trust her, but I also didn't doubt her. That was too strange for my comfort. I never trusted people, I always doubted them. I had to be more careful around Alice. I didn't want to trust her.

We made our way to the canteen when I remembered that Jeff had given me a lunch box. That was weird. I never forgot about it. Ever since I'd started living with Jeff he had given me a lunch box for school every day. That was because that helped us in cost cutting as the cafeteria's food was often expensive and also because I loved the food prepared by him. I didn't like anything else. Alice's company had distracted me.

"Alice" I stopped right at the canteen gate. She stopped and looked at me. I tried to think of an excuse. Damn! I'd always had lunch alone, never had I had to look for an excuse.

"You don't want to go in the canteen?" she asked, saving me from the trouble. Slowly, I shook my head. She smiled and I was surprised to see her looking relieved. "I don't like eating here either. Let's do one thing. We'll buy our lunch from here and we'll go to my secret place. What say?"

Now I couldn't stop the smile that came on my face. Apparently it was my first genuine smile to her. "Yes" I agreed in a relieved voice.

"Perfect!" Alice beamed.

"I have brought my lunch" I said.

"Oh. No problem, give me a minute to buy mine and then we'll go"

"Alright" I said.

"Come" she said and I followed her inside.

The canteen was huge and very crowded. It had round yellow tables and multi colored chairs. It was right in the centre of both the campuses. Alice explained that the school and college had the common canteen. A huge line of students awaited at the counter. I and Alice joined it and began to talk about our common interest: books.

It was difficult for me to talk about it at first. I never told anyone what I liked except Jeff so speaking about it felt kind of weird. But Alice was a good listener and I didn't realize when we reached at the counter. She purchased her food and we stepped out of the line.

"Hey Alice" I heard a voice. Alice turned.

"Hey Sam" she called with a smile.

"Come here for two minutes babes, need to discuss the new routine"

"Alright. Bella, do you mind holding this for me? I just need five minutes" said Alice.

"Sure" I said and took the tray.

"Thanks babes, I'll be right back" Alice said and left.

I felt weird standing alone with a tray and looked around for an empty table. Sadly, all the tables were full. I was debating whether to remain standing or wait for Alice outside when I felt a cold sensation on my back.

It hit me so hard that I flinched. I felt as if someone was pressing a pointed icicle in my back. My stomach growled as I felt a strong magnetic pull behind me. Slowly I turned and gasped as I found myself looking in the bluest eyes of the world.


	3. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2**

A six feet tall muscular guy was standing in the corner with his arms folded and was staring right back at me. He was wearing dark blue denims and a white shirt along with white sports shoes. His hair was long and messy. It looked so appealing on him that I almost forgot to breathe. He was surrounded by four more guys who too were smart and handsome but he looked the best of all. I automatically felt myself take a step towards him but then I stopped as I took in his expression. He was looking at me, _furiously_.

I felt confused. What had I done? Why was he angry at me? And I felt...hurt. What the hell! Why was I feeling hurt? One problem was his angry face, and the other was that as soon as I'd met his eyes the magnetic force had increased tenfold. I just wanted to be near him. My legs were, shivering.

I felt angry. Why was I feeling so weak? What was there in this guy that made me want to...long for something or rather... _someone_. That pulled me out of my trance. Someone, where had that come from? I didn't need someone. Hell I didn't need anyone, and definitely not _him_. With a jerk, I broke the feel of that magnetic force and turned away. I wasn't going to look at him again no matter what. I was about to leave the canteen when Alice came beside me.

"Let's go" she said as she took the tray and gratefully, I followed her out of the canteen, feeling the guy's stare on my back all this while.

"I've enjoyed so much after a long time" Alice said with a satisfied smile as she licked off the remains of my chocolate cake from her spoon. She had absolutely loved the biryani and cake. I smiled. I felt happy when anybody appreciated Jeff's cooking. "You are one hell of a cook Bella" she said as she shifted her position more comfortably on the branch. I felt a twinge of guilt. I didn't like taking credit of Jeff's cooking but I wasn't going to tell anybody about him so I had to keep mum.

Alice's _secret_ place had been the top branch of a banyan tree hidden well in the school's gardens. It was high and dense. I had been surprised when Alice had asked me to climb at the third topmost branch and even more surprised when I had seen her climbing with so much agility. Being a cheerleader had made her body stronger and flexible.

After settling properly we had shared our lunch and for the first time I had had a good time with someone else other than Jeff. Alice was cordial and funny. Though I was still very conscious, but with each passing moment I was feeling the development of a bond between us. A strong bond.

It was...scaring me.

I didn't want it to develop, but I didn't want it to break either. An internal battle was going on within me. I had promised Jeff that I would try to make friends. I hadn't expected to find someone as good as Alice. I wasn't sure if I should believe my fate or not, that maybe just this once it had decided to be good to me.

"Why do you like this place? And how did you find it?" I asked in order to distract myself from my thoughts.

"Well, I prefer peace and quiet too" she replied. "And I love greenery. I found this tree when I had been really mad at my parents since they had refused to buy me a car on my 16th birthday. I know it was because of Michael's accident but I had been putting up with all their restrictions since many years. When they refused to get it for me, I just snapped from inside. I said some really awful things to my parents and later felt guilty about it. So to clear my mind I bunked my classes and came here and found this place. It calmed me and made me feel good. Ever since then this has become my secret hideout. I can spend hours and hours here."

And she had shared her secret place with me right on our first day of meeting each other. Why? Was it right? I wanted to ask Alice why didn't she have any friends but I was hesitating. I didn't want her to feel bad.

"I don't have many friends" Alice said in a quiet voice. I looked at her, relieved because once again she had saved from the trouble of starting an uncomfortable topic. She was staring straight ahead, deep in thought. "I like talking to people, but when it comes to making friends, I get very choosy." I waited. I knew there was more to come. "For me, it's just the matter of a moment. If I feel connected with a person within five minutes of talking, then I consider them as my friend. Otherwise we end up as acquaintances. It's more like quality over quantity."

I felt weird at that. Had Alice too felt a connection with me? Similarly how I had felt a connection with her because of which I had come with her despite not wanting to? Alice looked at me. "I felt it with you, Bella" she said with a smile. "That's why I didn't mind bringing you to this place at all...I trust you, and I know I'm trusting the right person."

I was happy to hear it but the guilt made me look away. Alice shouldn't trust me. I wasn't worth it. She didn't know anything about me. I was a liar...and a lot more than that. I had done horrendous things about which she had no idea.

"I have a best friend Rosalie. She has gone to Albania for a few days and will be back next week. You'll really like her. She is a real badass fun" Alice said with a smirk.

I smiled for her sake but I tensed more. Rosalie, another new person I would have to try to speak with. What if she didn't like me? Will I lose Alice then?

"Let's go. Lunch is almost over" said Alice and I watched open mouthed as she swiftly climbed down from the branch and reached the ground within seconds. I took a bit more time.

As I walked back towards school with Alice I felt many thoughts and emotions churning within me. I couldn't stop thinking about the blue-eyed guy whom I couldn't get out of my mind. I was nervous already thinking about Rosalie. I felt guilty for lying to Alice. I wanted to tell her not to trust me. I didn't want to lose her as a friend. I had to talk to Jeff about the weird behavior of Mrs. Fisher. And again, I wanted to know why was that guy affecting me so much. I wanted to stay away from him. But the pull of that magnetic force, I just couldn't ignore it.

In short, yes, my first day had a lot of happening stuff and it was only half day till now. I wondered how many surprises the other half of the day had in store for me.

I sighed with a smile as I felt the familiar cool wind rubbing on my face as I cycled towards the library where I had gotten a part time job. The rest of the school day had turned out to be normal. I hadn't seen that guy again and though I was glad about it, I wanted to see him again, if only once. I just wanted to catch a glimpse of him.

And I didn't like it one bit. I'd never felt inclined towards any guy in my whole life. Okay, just once, but it had turned out to be a disaster. A really really big disaster. I still turned red whenever I thought about it. But that inclination was nothing in front of the attraction I felt for this guy.

Yes, I am admitting it to myself. I was attracted to him, _extremely attracted_. I could lie to the whole world and I could hide it from Jeff, but I could never ever deny this to myself. I was blown over by his looks. I wanted to be with him.

Which was exactly why...I had to stay away from him.

Being with a person was not a part of my life. It wasn't me. Ever since I'd run away from home and lived on the streets for two years until I'd found my first happiness by meeting Jeff, I'd been on my own. The number of betrayals I'd faced were uncountable. The number of times I had been let down, well, I can only pray that it doesn't happen to anybody else.

And now with this all of a sudden attraction to a random guy who...hates me for an unknown reason, having the desire to be with him was sheer madness. And sheer madness was something that I couldn't afford to do right now. I had to make sure that I kept a low profile so that nobody became interested in me. Ignoring him wasn't going to be difficult. I was an expert on ignoring and running away from things. I had been doing that all my life. I could do it now.

I reached the Durango Public Library and parked my bike. I went inside and felt the familiar surge of warmth that I always felt whenever I was surrounded by books. I went to the reception and gave a small smile to Ms. McKenzie.

"Good afternoon Ms. McKenzie" I said.

Ms. McKenzie looked up from her register and nodded at me. She was a 60 years old lady who ran the library. An efficient woman, she had the energy of a teenager and could be at any place any time.

"Good afternoon Bella. You are right on time. I want you to arrange the books of the 'Fiction Research' shelf. There is a boy there who was looking for a specific book but I don't think" she looked at the CCTV monitor "that he has gotten it till now. Go and help him then arrange the books."

"Alright" I said and kept my bag behind the counter. I walked towards the 'Fiction Research' area. If I was lucky today, I might get a chance to read a new book. Ms. McKenzie had given me the liberty to read when I didn't have any work. I had already finished reading three books in the last week when I had started working in the library.

I reached in that area and froze. I recognized him even though his back was towards me. I felt him becoming tense as suddenly he straightened and turned towards me sharply. Our eyes clashed and the burst of that magnetic force nearly made me gasp. His momentary surprised look quickly shifted into a glare so hateful that I automatically took a step back. Somehow, that only made his glare more fierce.

Alright, I had promised myself that I would keep calm. I had sworn to myself that I would ignore him and wouldn't let him affect me in any way. I didn't know him and he didn't know me. So there was no reason for me to get scared of him. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath as I tried to recall all the relaxation exercises Jeff had taught me. But nothing seemed to work. Adrenaline was coursing through my body and legs and arms were filled with goosebumps.

Knowing that I was looking like a fool with my eyes closed, I opened them and ignored the shudder that went through my body as I looked in his eyes again.

"Can I help you?" my voice came out as a croak. Angry at myself, I tried to clear my throat as silently as possible.

"What the hell are you doing here?" the guy nearly spat and I flinched from his acidic tone.

"I work here. Ms. McKenzie told me that you might need my help regarding searching for a book." Damn! I didn't need to explain myself so much to him. What in the name of God was wrong with me?

"You work here?" he asked in the same tone.

Suddenly, I felt angrier than before. Who the hell did he think he was? What gave him the right to talk to me like that? What had I done to him? I wanted to hit him.

"Yes" I replied stiffly. "If you could tell me which book is it that you are searching for I can help you." But I clearly showed it in my tone that I didn't want to help him at all.

He scowled at me and then with a jerk passed by my side. I watched his retreating back as he quickly made his way out of the library. The enormous surge of emotions made me feel dizzy. I was confused, hurt, angry and scared. Why? Why did only a minute with his guy made me...feel? Why was it that I wanted to ignore him but couldn't? Yes, he was very handsome and attractive but then so what? There were billions of good looking guys on this planet. He wasn't the only one, then why?

The best way to stop thinking about all this nonsense was to get to work. Now that he wasn't there, somehow those relaxation exercises had started to show their little effect. I took deep calming breaths and blocked out my mind from all the thoughts.

Then, I got back to work.

I was tired by the time I reached my house. After the library had closed I had gone straight to the diner where I did half night shift. It remained open 24*7 so there was always a crowd there. My feet were aching due to all the running around for carrying orders and serving food but it was worth it. The diner was a hit because of its tasty food so the paycheck was good. The owner, Mr. Brunner was kind and understanding. He had given a job to Jeff as a minor chef and me as a part time waitress. Usually Jeff and I returned together but tonight was busier than most of the nights so he had to stay back.

I unlocked the door and stepped inside. After switching on the lights I removed my shoes and sat on the couch. Man, my feet were killing me. I closed my eyes as I tried to erase the pain from my legs mentally. This was something Jeff had taught me on how to focus on the pain and imagine myself cutting through it, removing it completely. I hadn't become an expert on it like Jeff. He could cut through not only his pain but mine too. I don't know how he did that but he had told me that I too would be able to do it at the right time. Often his words went over my head but this technique really helped so I did it.

I closed my eyes as I focused on my toes. I felt my muscles relax as they squeezed and rinsed the pain out. I moved up to my calves and then my knees. My legs were much better by the time I finished. I opened my eyes and looked at the watch. It had taken me forty five minutes to do it. Not good. Jeff was able to do it within seconds. I needed to practice more.

I closed my eyes to take a short nap but my mind was too active. I recalled my whole day. It had been very different. I had felt so many emotions today. I had felt happy, eager, weird and slightly content with Alice. I wasn't hopeful though. Her best friend Rosalie was retuning next week and I didn't know how was it going to affect our equation. Also, I wasn't expecting from Alice to be with me.

Expectations...they hurt immensely. Why do they hurt? Because they give a bloody hope that for once life can make some sense. They give you hope that no matter how much fucking bitchy the world has been to you, you can still make it out without being completely immersed in its shit. Oh you never get rid of that crap entirely, it's meant to stay with you in some ways forever, but these expectations, they try to make you believe that you can still live through it because you might meet a person who is ready to clean all that crap for you.

It became true for me when I met Jeff, but after that, it was the same as before. Now I didn't want life to throw any new surprises at me. I was happy and satisfied with the way I was. But being the screwing bitch that life is, it had made me meet Alice.

I didn't know if she would clean any shit of mine, but I knew I couldn't escape without finding out. And that blue-eyed guy who refused to get out of my mind no matter how hard I tried, well, I didn't need his shit. So it didn't matter how mouth watering he looked, I knew he wasn't good for my health. And something that wasn't good for my health didn't have any place in my life.

So that nameless stranger didn't have any place in my life either.


	4. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3**

I wanted to kill Jeff.

I groaned inwardly for the umpteenth time when I saw another guy checking me out as I walked towards my canteen with Alice. I hadn't been able to change Jeff's mind. He had forcefully made me look in the mirror today for ten seconds after _he'd chosen my clothes and styled my hair._

I don't remember what had I been wearing yesterday because I never paid attention. I randomly selected a jeans and t-shirt but today, Jeff had selected a light silver shirt with a tight black jeans as my outfit. He'd wanted me to wear silver slippers to match with the shirt but I had absolutely refused. We'd had a heated argument which I had eventually won. My black sports shoes were the only normal things I felt I was wearing today. Even my hair didn't feel normal as Jeff had told me strictly that I was going to let it down.

I had been happy until yesterday since nobody had paid any attention to me. But today, all of a sudden everybody had started taking notice that a new girl had joined the school. Ever since I had stepped in the school, I had got minimum fifteen guys checking me out and more than fifty awful looks from other girls.

Thanks a lot Jeff, I thought angrily. Your new beginning has won me enemies already.

Alice on the other hand was enjoying my discomfort. She'd whistled after looking at me from top to bottom thoroughly. My glare hadn't had any effect on her and she was chuckling every now and then as I fidgeted with my bag whenever a guy purposely walked by us while looking at me.

"This is so much fun" she laughed.

"Yeah right" I said sarcastically as I stonily ignored a guy who brushed his arm against mine. God how I wanted to punch him! I didn't like anybody touching me.

We reached the canteen and joined the line as Alice had to buy her food. Then we were going to eat at her secret place. I was thinking about making a dash for the door because the stares were really starting to make me uncomfortable when suddenly everybody became quiet. I heard the silent sighs of the girls around me and turned to look at the source of their oohs and aahs.

My blood froze and boiled at the same time. There he was, the rudely attractive nameless stranger with his gang. Today he was wearing a black shirt with dark brown jeans and a black leather jacket. His gang members too were dressed in expensive clothes but I was too busy in looking at him to notice their color.

What if he saw me right now? Would he ignore me or be rude to me in front of everybody? As if on cue, he turned and directly looked in my eyes. The pull of the magnetic force was so hard that avoiding it shook my balance. I staggered back and would have fallen hadn't Alice caught my arm.

"Bella are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

I nodded as I mentally chastised myself for being so weak. This guy wasn't important. He shouldn't affect me He _won't_ affect me. I looked away but could feel him still watching me.

"My god" Alice breathed.

"What is it?" I asked.

"He's staring at you"

"Who?"

"Edward Cullen" The name sent a chill down my spine which was immediately replaced by a wave of warmth. I felt my knees go weak but stood still. I was definitely not going to fall in the library and make a fool of myself just because I came to know his name.

"Who is he?"

"The one for whom every girl is crazy" Alice replied with a sigh. "He's in college but is a heartthrob in the school as well. God I can't believe it...he's still staring at you"

I brutally ignored the butterflies in my stomach.

"Whatever" I muttered.

"You got to be kidding me!" Alice looked at me with wide eyes. "Don't tell me you don't find him interesting. I saw you looking at him."

"Yes I saw him" I said flatly. "But I'm not interested"

"What? But..."

"Alice" I said sternly. "Can you just buy your lunch so that we can leave? I'm hungry." Stupid, rude guy. Huh. I didn't care if he was looking at me.

Unwillingly, Alice turned away as her turn came. I didn't look at the guy...Edward again. Alice picked her tray and turned to look at AEdward one more time.

"Oh my god" she gasped.

"What is it?" I asked.

"See it for yourself"

"Not interested"

"Lucky bitch" Johanna muttered.

I couldn't control my curiosity and looked at Edward. A brunette was literally all over him as he talked with her. Their faces were inches apart, like they were going to kiss any moment. Edward's arm was casually around her waist. The brunette was smiling so cheekily that I almost gagged. It was clear that she couldn't wait to put her tongue in his neck.

I wanted to pull her by her hair and thrash her head on the nearby table. What the bloody hell...I was furious.

I was jealous!

Edward glanced at me and smirked as if he could read my thoughts. What the...so the moron was doing this purposely. But how the hell did he know about...whatever? I hadn't told anyone. Was he aware of the effect he had on me? Or was he so attuned to the emotions of all the girls around him that he knew who was feeling jealous and who wasn't?

Or the most logical explanation of all, he was over confident about his irresistible charisma. It was definitely that. God, how I wanted to wipe off that smirk from his arrogant face. Bloody arse!

"Let's go" I said to Alice stiffly as I watched Edward leaning closer to the brunette. Oh why waste everybody's time? Just kiss her and get it over with!

Alice was too busy watching then listening to me.

"Alice!" I said loudly enough to make several people turn in my direction. Conscious, I lowered my volume. "Let's go"

"Hm...yeah" she was still distracted but at last we stepped out of the canteen. I had lost my appetite. I just wanted to go sit down somewhere alone and sulk. I couldn't get the image of the brunette showing all her cleavage while leaning towards Edward out of my mind. We had just stepped in the garden when Alice's mobile rang.

"That's Ms. Parker" Alice frowned. "Why is she calling me during lunch time? Hello, good afternoon Ms. Parker. Yes, yes, oh, right now? Is it important? Alright, I'll be there in five minutes."

Alice kept her phone inside and looked at me. "I'm afraid I'll have to leave Bella. Ms. Parker has found something badly wrong with my homework that can't be ignored. I need to go see her right now."

"Will you be back before the lunch gets over?"

"I think so. I'll try. You go there and start eating. I'll try to join you as soon as possible."

"Alright" I said.

Alice gave me her tray and left. Dejected, I moved towards the trees. I didn't want to be alone. Talking with Alice would have kept me distracted from the thoughts of Edward. I was trying but I couldn't block out his thoughts. It was starting to irritate me. I had learnt the 'block out' technique from Jeff very well and he had claimed that I was better at it than him. Then why wasn't it working today?

I was walking among the trees when I remembered that I had to call Jeff and tell him that I was going to stay at Alice's house tonight. She had been adamant about it since morning and finally I had to give in. Though it was only second day of our meeting, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to experience fun things with Alice. I'd never experienced a night out with a friend before. This was going to be something new and though I didn't know what would happen after Rosalie returned I didn't want to miss this chance.

I had just taken out my cell phone to call Jeff when I felt myself being pulled back ruthlessly. I screamed as I lost my footing and dropped the tray and my lunch box. A hard hand pressed to my mouth and another arm circled tightly around my waist to stop me from falling.

I struggled violently with my hands and legs but my captor was too strong. I tried removing his hand but it was no good. I tried kicking backwards but he dodged my kicks easily. I tried attacking with my elbows but they didn't have any effect on him.

"Be quiet" said a raspy voice and I stopped struggling immediately. I couldn't believe my ears.

My captor was Edward.

"What the hell do you think you are doing?" I said angrily as Edward carried me over his shoulder.

My momentary shock at hearing his voice and given him the chance to spin me and hoist me over his shoulder. I was punching his back continuously and trying to kick him but he had locked my legs in an iron grasp and my punches were not affecting him in any way. Hell! His hold on my legs was so strong that I couldn't move them an inch. I just needed a moment, only a second of loose hold and I was sure that I could flip but he had placed his other hand tightly on the small of my back due to which I couldn't get it straight. That only left my hands and they were not doing any good to me anyway.

"Put me down you piece of shit!" I screamed. "I swear I'll kill you!"

"Shut up!" he sounded really pissed off. Oh so he was pissed off. Well, welcome to the club moron! His proximity was playing havoc with my senses. Damn! His entire body was warm and the constant movement of his shoulder against my stomach wasn't doing any good to my insides.

Proximity and anger, never ever a good combination.

I didn't know where he was taking me. I realized that the school's gardens actually led inside the forest. Well, I was in no mood to find out what he had on his mind so I did what I could think was my best chance of escaping from his clutches. I got him momentarily off guard. How did I do that?

With all my might, I pinched his butt.

"What the..."Edward swore and loosened his hold on me momentarily. That was all I needed. I freed my right leg in an instant and planted a hefty kick in his ribs. Edward howled in pain and let go of my left leg. I placed my hands on his shoulders and flipped over them with ease.

Without waiting to see how badly I'd kicked him, I ran towards the way he'd brought me.

Thanks to Jeff, all those years of training had paid off today.

Or maybe not.

I hadn't even run ten steps when I felt myself being caught by rough hands and flipped in air. I screamed as I barreled towards the ground but before I could hit the surface, I found myself being caught in a pair of stony arms. The impact made me gasp. My head snapped back with such force that I was lucky my neck didn't break.

When my vision cleared after a moment, I found myself in Edward's arms. He was carrying me bridal style and his arms were around me like steel girders. I thrashed and struggled violently but to no avail. He was too strong.

"Keep doing that" he muttered through gritted teeth, "and I won't be responsible for my actions."

"Oh so you're going to take the responsibility of what you're doing now?" I spat.

He didn't answer and continued walking.

"Where the hell are we going? And did it cross your mind that if you would've politely asked then I might have come with you?" Bullshit! I wouldn't have gone with him anywhere.

"I never ask" he said tonelessly.

Huh. Why wasn't I surprised? Of course the arrogant asshole would have never had to ask for anything. Anything he wished for would have been given to him on a platter.

"You know, god has been kind enough to give me two legs. I can walk" Seriously, another crazy moment mixed with anger, longing and his closeness and I was going to do something really stupid.

Thankfully, he stopped at that very moment and put me down with a jerk. I staggered slightly but luckily didn't fall. Angrily, I removed my hair from my face and glared at him.

"What do you..." I began but couldn't finish my sentence because the next moment I was caught between the tree and Edward with his furious faces only inches from mine.

My breathing slowed as my heart hammered loudly against my chest. He smelled of pine and sweat. It was so intoxicating, it made my mouth water. I watched as his blue eyes darkened. Did I affect him too? He leaned closer after taking a deep breath. Our noses touched.

There was a sharp bolt of electricity that made me gasp. No, no, no. What was wrong with me? Was I planning to kiss him? Was I going to let him kiss me? NO! Without wasting a moment, I pushed him away with all my might. Edward staggered back a step. I closed my eyes as I tried to get a grip on myself.

This was wrong, completely wrong. I couldn't get so weak. I had to get away from here, right now. I felt a hard hand hold my chin and make me look up ruthlessly. I nearly cried out in pain but kept my eyes closed. I didn't want to look in his hypnotic eyes anymore. They always distracted me. The hand on my chin tightened.

"Look at me" he commanded furiously.

"No" I whispered and kept my eyes closed.

I felt Edward pulling me towards himself. My legs gave away as my body came in full contact with his but he didn't let me fall. He supported me by holding the small of my back as I clutched his shoulders. There was no space between our bodies. Even air couldn't pass between us. I felt jittery as I felt his hard muscled thighs against mine. My stomach was in contact with his navel and I could hear his thundering heartbeat against his chest.

"Bella" he said in a gentle voice. "Look at me"

"No" I shook my head. The pressure on my chin vanished and I felt my face being cupped in a warm hand.

"Please" his breath fanned all over my face.

Slowly, I opened my eyes and immediately wished that I hadn't. We were so close. Our noses were less than an inch apart. I could taste his breath on my tongue. One inch, I just had to cover one inch and I would know the feel of kissing the most kissable lips in this world.

"What are you doing to me?" Edward whispered as he straightened me up but didn't remove his hand from the small of my back. I didn't leave his shoulders either. We stared into each other's eyes for an endless moment before he embraced me gently. I inhaled his smell of pine and sweat as he rested his chin on my head.

I felt...at peace. I was safe. Nothing could go wrong now. Everything was going to be okay. I felt Edward running his nose all over my head and almost curled at the sensation it raised in me. I tightened my hands on his shoulders as I listened to his heartbeat. It was normal, like mine. Our hearts, they were beating together, as one.

Edward began to nuzzle my neck and I moaned in pleasure. His lips were soft and gentle. I looked up and pressed my lips to his throat. I felt his sharp intake of breath and smiled against his skin. I moved further up and softly kissed his chin. God! It felt so good. My heart fluttered at the warm feeling that coursed through me. I felt him running his hand all over my back and pressed myself closer to him. He kissed my forehead deeply.

"Mine" he whispered.

I gasped and pulled away from him. He looked shocked...and hurt by my sudden action. My heart was pounding. What had just happened? What the hell was I doing?

The turmoil of so many emotions inside me made me lash out at him "What are you doing?" I screamed. "How dare you take advantage of me?"

For a moment AEdward looked at me as if I had just kicked him in his gut. Then like an angry wolf he lunged at me.

"What?" he screamed as he held my throat. " _I_ took advantage you? How dare you say that to me?"

Blood was pounding in my head as my air supply was cut. The black spots started dancing in front of my eyes as I tried to gasp for breath. "It takes two to tango you silly girl!" Edward shouted in my ears. "You were desperate for me!"

That angered me like hell. Me? Desperate?! I focused with the last of my senses and punched Edward.

"What the fuck!" he cried and let go of my throat immediately. I fell down as I gasped. I coughed as my wind pipe slowly became normal again. I was still dizzy from the pressure on my throat but at least nobody was choking me now.

I glared at Edward who was glaring back at me. I allowed myself a bit of pleasure when I saw a purple bruise forming on his cheek. Man, it was going to look awful tomorrow.

"You don't have to look so happy about that" he rasped.

Dang! Maybe I hadn't masked my emotion well. Whatever, I was really pissed off. "You scoundrel" I said angrily. "You tried to kill me for heaven's sake. I punched you in my self defense and all you can do is bicker that I'm happy because I was able to give you a small bruise! What sort of a guy are you?"

"The sort you don't want to know" he said dangerously. Somehow, I didn't doubt his threat. He was right. I was attracted to him...but I didn't want to know him.

I folded my arms. "Now that you've got your animal under control, care to tell me why did you haul me all the way here? What do you want?"

For a moment Edward looked astounded then took a deep breath. It was clearly taking a lot of effort for him to calm himself down. I didn't understand what was he so furious about. "You need to leave" he said after a moment.

"Excuse me?" I wasn't sure I'd heard right.

"Didn't you hear what I said?" he said angrily. "I said you need to leave."

"Leave? What do you mean? You brought, no, you dragged me all the way here in first place"

Edward took another deep breath then looked right into my eyes.

"You need to leave Durango" he said tonelessly "Forever"


	5. Chapter 4

CHAPTER 4

"You're crazy" I whispered. Then I actually realized what had he said. "Insane!" I said in a much stronger voice. "What makes you think you've the right to say anything to me? Who the hell are you?"

"Trust me, you don't want to know who I am" he said in a dangerously soft voice. "If you have a brain, you'll do as I say."

"You need to go and get yourself checked by a psychiatrist" I snapped. "What makes you think that you've the right to order me around?"

Edward moved fast and held my upper arms painfully. "Do _not_ speak to me like that!" he shouted.

"I'll speak to you in whichever way I want" I cried as I struggled to free myself. He really had a painful grip.

"Leave!" he shouted. "Leave or else I'll make sure you regret coming here" he threatened.

Hah! If only he knew, I knew these threats like the back of my hand. I had been dealing with them ever since I'd run away from home. On the streets as well as in my previous school, I'd been threatened constantly. I'd seen death right in front of my eyes. Countless times. The scars on my body were a reminder of that.

Death is the biggest threat. If you can conquer it, everything else starts looking like a cakewalk. And I'd conquered death, innumerable times.

"You don't scare me" I said quietly as I looked in Edward's eyes and stopped struggling.

He looked at me for a long moment then pushed me away.

"I don't like repeating myself" he rasped. "If I see you tomorrow, I promise. You'll start wishing you weren't born"

If only he knew, I wished it every goddamn day, every bloody moment. So the history was repeating itself. No matter at which place I went, no matter how many times I tried to have a new start, I was never going to find a place where I belonged. There was always going to be someone who would want me to leave and would make my life hell until I gave in.

Durango's story wasn't going to be any different. I was not giving in and I knew Edward wouldn't stop till he got what he wanted. I would fight with all my might and ultimately would have to give up and move to a new place. This happened every time.

But, there was going to be an exception this time. This time, I wasn't going to leave no matter what. I and Jeff had worked our butt off to buy a house here so that we could finally have a place of our own. Only we knew the how much we had toiled for this.

Ever since I was born, I'd always longed for a home. Now that I had finally got it, I wasn't giving it up just like that. I was going to stay here and show Edward that he didn't scare me. I would show the world that it couldn't keep treating me like shit. But most importantly, I was going to prove to myself that there was a place for me to live even though I was a freak, a terrible freak.

So I looked in Edward's eyes and said in a soft yet determined voice "Bring it on Cullen. Do whatever you can, because I'm not going anywhere."

I walked back to the school in daze.

My encounter with Edward had shaken me more than I realized. While fighting with him, arguing with him, shouting at him...being close to him, there had been that unstoppable magnetic pull that had kept on nagging me...to merge with him.

As I recalled everything, I couldn't understand whom I was fighting with. Him...or myself?

Him because he affected me? Or myself because I'd to constantly keep myself in check that I didn't become weak and throw myself at him? I'd boldly asked him to bring it on. But did I have the courage and the power to fight with him?

I wasn't sure anymore.

Suddenly I felt lonely, and I didn't like it at all. It made me feel weak and tired. All these years I'd been on my own. When I'd left my home, I'd survived on the streets for two years on my own until I had met Jeff in the parking lot of a hotel. That place was ideal for hiding and also could fill my belly since the staff threw away all the leftover food in the backyard. We'd become friends instantly and I had been surprised because I had vowed to never trust people as I'd seen many harsh truths of life by then. But with Jeff, my heart had screamed that I could trust him and since then, we had been inseparable.

I had become self sufficient by the time I'd turned three thanks to my parents and had always stayed away from people. When Jeff had become a part of my world, I'd become sure that it was complete and I didn't need anyone else. I'd been going on easily until the moment I'd seen Edward.

Looking at him had made me realize that I needed more people. At times, being on your own or having just one person with you isn't enough. You needed something more. You needed someone more. This was so against my life's motto of 'Never ever get attached to anyone' that I didn't want to accept it. But it was nagging me continuously and I hated Edward for making me think like that.

I didn't know why he hated me. I didn't know why he wanted me to leave. Did he feel that magnetic pull too? I guess so. Was it bothering him? I think yes otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to leave. He'd been tender for a moment in the forest. Something was definitely there and he didn't like it anymore than I did.

But still, I wasn't leaving.

When I'd turned ten and Jeff twelve, we'd decided that we didn't want to live our entire life on the streets pick pocketing and wondering if we would be able to survive the next day. Running from cops, hiding from foster homes and missing the mental institutions by inches wasn't going to be a part of our life. So we'd decided to work hard and study.

We decided to become civilized so that we could walk with our head held high in this world. We decided to get accepted in the society so that we didn't have to run anymore. That hadn't been easy either. I had stolen books from other kids for myself and Jeff to learn. I'd gone hungry for weeks in order to save money to afford the school tuition. I'd done every possible dirty job to buy a decent school uniform. Hell, I'd even agreed to stay at a foster home for a year so as to get educated.

The hard work had paid off. All those years of running and hiding had made me sharp. I'd discovered that I'd brains and had excelled at academics. However, the one thing that I could never learn was how to mingle with people. Since the beginning itself I had found myself unable to mix with people.

Jeff and I had started in the same grade. Being the eldest in class, Jeff had been titled as the 'old guy' and nobody had agreed to be friends with him. And me? I had been the ultimate _freak_ who everybody had loved to punch at every chance they got.

Within six months I and Jeff had left the school. But by then we both had fallen in love with the world of academia and hadn't wanted to leave it. So we'd moved to a different place in a new school. But this time, we'd been prepared. There too the treatment hadn't been any different but we had been stronger and had put up with it. After finishing our junior school we'd decided to continue our middle school in the same institution but we'd been forced to run.

Because they'd come.

I shuddered as I blocked my mind from those images. I never ever wanted to be caught again. Whatever had happened in my life till now, it had taught me many different things. But in all these teachings, one lesson had remained constant: Running.

I had to keep running. For how long, I didn't know. Maybe forever. I was okay with it. It had become as natural to me as breathing. But when Jeff and I had decided to shift to Durango, we had been hoping to stay here for at least five years. That was why we had put our every effort and used our every saving in buying a home. When I'd stepped in my home for the first time, I'd felt the first wave of relaxation that I had never experienced before.

And now Edward was asking me to leave.

No way! That was just impossible. Because buying this house had not only given me the feeling of home, it had also made me realize another thing.

I was tired of running.

And I wasn't intending to do it for a long, long time. So it didn't matter if an out of the world gorgeous guy threatened me to leave. I wasn't leaving my home and I was going to make sure that nobody made me do so.

I stepped into the school gardens and banged into a girl.

"Ow" I rubbed my head and looked up. It was Alice. But...she looked so different. Her face was red and lips were swollen. Her eyes had a dreamy look. She looked...drunk.


	6. Chapter 5

CHAPTER 5

"Alice!" I said in an alarmed voice and caught her as she staggered. She couldn't even walk straight. She sat on the ground and I immediately sat beside her. "Alice, what happened?"

"I found him" she whispered. She still had that faraway look in her eyes.

"Found whom? And what happened to you?" She was crimson red. What had Ms. Parker done to her? She looked at me but I doubted that she could see me.

"I never realized Bella" she laughed like a loon. "He was right there in front of me all this while and I never realized."

"Alice" I shook her hard.

With a surprising speed, she held my wrist tightly. I winced as she looked at me crazily. "I got mine Bella. Thank you. Thank you" and she began to kiss my wrist crazily.

"Alice!" I yelled and pushed her away. She fell back as I began to rub my wrist on my hand. I hated kissing. I hated any physical stuff. Hypocritical, I know. I'd been ready to make out with Edward in the forest a few minutes back but at that time I hadn't been in my senses. Forget it! I wasn't going to think about it right now.

My push seemed to have brought Alice out of her trance because she was looking around at me with a confused face.

"W...What happened?" she asked.

"That's what I'm asking you. What happened? Why were you acting so weird?" I contemplated for a moment then sat down next to her again but at a slight distance in case she attacked me again.

"What did I do? Gosh! It's so confusing" Alice held her head. I was starting to get worried now.

"Where did you go Alice? You didn't go to Ms. Parker did you?"

"No I didn't" she replied in a soft voice as she pressed her head. "It...It was a prank call made by Edward's friends."

Edward's friends! I balled my fists in anger. Of course, who else could it be? That moron had been planning this and had called Alice so that I could be alone. He must have followed us when we'd come out of canteen. But what had his friends done to Alice?

"Where did you go?" I asked angrily. "What did his friends do to you?" I was going to make them pay for it.

"They...I..." Alice looked at me and her eyes widened. "Bella!" she cried "What happened to you?"

"Me? What?" I looked down and saw what Alice was talking about. There were dark red fingerprints around my throat. Undoubtedly they belonged to Edward as he'd held my throat. I wanted to wash them away right away! I felt as if in his own way Edward had marked me. I didn't like it one bit.

"It's nothing" I said quickly and tried to hide them by pulling my collar up but it was useless. Even then the marks were clearly visible.

"It's not nothing! Who did this to you? Wait...it was a prank call by Edward's friends" Alice's eyes widened with shock and anger. "Did Edward do this to you?" Suddenly, she stood up in anger. "How dare he?" she cried.

I looked at Alice in surprise. Why did she look so outraged? She stamped her foot angrily. "This is not the way!" she shouted angrily. "This is not the way to treat..." she stopped abruptly.

"Treat what?" I asked.

Alice swallowed. The first wave of suspicion rose in me. Alice had some connection with Edward which I didn't know. "Alice?" I asked with raised eyebrows.

"A girl" she said after a moment. "This is not the way to treat a girl."

She was lying. She'd been about to say something else. I looked in Alice's silver eyes carefully. They were filled with guilt, excitement, desperation and happiness. Strange combination. But then why was my instinct telling me to still trust Alice? I was so confused that I couldn't think straight.

"Why did Edward do this to you?" she broke the uncomfortable silence between us. So she knew that I knew that she was lying.

I don't know why, but I found myself telling her the truth. "He wants me to leave Durango" I said flatly.

"What? Is he out of his mind?" Alice shouted so loudly that I took a step back. What on earth was happening? "You won't leave right?" she suddenly pleaded and held my hands. "Promise me that you won't leave" she said in a desperate voice.

I was so taken aback by her behavior that I couldn't respond for a few moments. Then slowly I freed my hands from hers. Okay, enough of puzzling questions. I wanted answers and I wanted them right now.

"Alice" I said coldly. "What's happening?

I lied on my bed and sighed.

I wasn't sure what to believe and what to do anymore. Alice was still lying, I was sure about that. But the problem was, she wasn't lying _completely_. When I'd asked her to explain and had absolutely refused to budge from there until she answered my questions, she had given in. We had bunked the rest of the day and had sat in her secret place.

"Edward is a heartbreaker" Alice had started her explanation with this sentence. "He's an expert on manipulating people. Till now, not a single girl has been able to resist him. It doesn't matter how many barriers you have put around yourself, if Edward gets determined, he can pass through all the walls."

I didn't doubt that.

"For the first time it has happened that a girl has caught his attention. He doesn't look at any girl left and right when he walks but then, he doesn't need to."

Of course.

"But during lunch, he was staring at you nonstop. That's a first. Don't be surprised if you receive a lot of attention tomorrow. Edward made it quite obvious that he finds you interesting."

I groaned. If only others knew exactly _how much interesting_ he found me. Interesting enough to threaten me to leave the city right away. I certainly didn't like this definition of interesting.

"Yesterday, his friends were inquiring about you"

"Me?" Surprising but not shocking seeing the way he'd followed and attacked me today.

"Yeah. And today, though he was talking to that bimbo bitch, everybody could see it clearly that his attention was on you. Only you didn't notice it because you weren't looking at him."

I groaned. What an egotistical ass! Just because a girl refused to look at him he threatened her to leave the town. A complete mental case.

"What did his friends do to you?" I asked after moment. Alice still wasn't herself. She looked slightly giddy.

"Nothing" she whispered. "They just...captured me and, didn't let me go." Why the hell was she looking so happy about it? But, I didn't want to know. I couldn't help feeling that this was something private.

Besides I had other things to worry about. Like how to stop a mental guy from making you leave the town just because you refused to look at him. Great! It had been two days and I'd problems of survival already.

I cancelled my night stay with Alice that night because I needed to be alone to think. Alice wasn't happy about it but she relented. Restless, I got up and began to walk around my room in darkness. I thought of Edward and felt hot by the way I'd felt after touching him. How the hell was I going to be able to fight with a guy whose one touch could set me on fire?

Inexplicably my hand went to my throat where Edward had strangled me. I stepped in the bathroom and switched on the light. I couldn't believe I was doing this as I went and stood in front of a mirror.

I saw the reflection of a pale golden eyed girl. Her blonde hair was a mess and was resembling a bird's nest. She looked weak that hid the strength she actually had. Her body was toned and muscular. Her bare arms were filled with scars. Deep scratches covered her shoulders. A bright red handprint was visible around her neck that shone because of her pale skin. It was going to look worse tomorrow.

I sighed and returned to my bed.

I'd no idea what mess Edward had in store for me tomorrow. I didn't know if I was strong enough to fight. I didn't know for how long I would be able to cope up. But I did know that I wasn't giving up. I wasn't giving up until I won.

Until I was sure that I had my home forever.

 **Author's Note**

Hi guys, it's my humble request that please let me know what you think of the story. I'm open to criticism and would really like to improve my writing skills. And if you don't want to criticize then please appreciate it as it motivates me to write more. Please let me know what you feel about the story through your reviews.

Thanks


	7. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER 6**

"Wow! This is unbelievable!" Jeff exclaimed.

"Shut up!" I grumbled as I swallowed my breakfast.

"This definitely calls for a celebration. One day's makeover and you're changing already" Jeff teased me.

"Don't get used to it" I warned as I got up.

Jeff was happy because today _I'd_ chosen to dress with care. Yes. I wore black trousers with a golden top and a matching golden scarf to hide the awful handprint. As I'd suspected, it had gotten redder than last night and now looked more menacing.

Thank god Jeff wasn't suspecting me otherwise the consequences would have been disastrous. Either he would've gone to punch Edward in face or he would've packed our bags to leave immediately.

I rode to school as I kept on bracing myself mentally for the new challenges I'd to overcome. But the strange thing was, I was excited and nervous. In my old school, I'd become used to being the punching bag of all the bullies. I'd stopped feeling. I used to fight and try to defend myself but all the cruel treatments had stopped making me nervous. And I was never excited to get a new cut every day.

But I didn't know why, I was excited to fight with Edward. He wasn't going to play fair, I knew. But, I don't know, I was going to enjoy. Maybe because this time, I had a cause. Earlier, my fight had been for survival and had I lost it, it wouldn't have really mattered to me. But now, I was going to fight for my home and for my right to live.

And when I fought, I fought to win.

"You look stunning" Alice breathed as I sat next to her in the class. My glare made her laugh. Within two days she'd gotten used to my scowls and glares. I didn't know what sort of bond we had. The one in which I had told her absolutely nothing about my past, where she was continuously lying to me and keeping things from me, yet, we trusted each other and were together.

Mr. Richards, our geography teacher entered in the class and automatically the class became quiet. He had that certain aura that automatically made everybody fall silent. Whenever I was around him, I felt a certain pressure on my mind, like if I didn't listen to him, the consequences wouldn't be good. Durango was beautiful but in some ways it was really freaky, like in terms of people.

"Alright students" Mr. Richards said in his deep quiet voice. "Today we're going to have a combined geography class with the college students in the map room " A new excitement rippled in the crowd as the girls started checking their looks though this was the first class and guys started flexing their muscles. Really? Were they going to study or take off their clothes?

"The college students have already reached the map room. I want you all to do the same."

Uncomfortably I began to walk towards the observatory that was right behind the school with Alice. I was prepared for the worst case scenario. I could get anyone. A nerd was my top preference. We reached the observatory and Mr. Richards handed me my number. I had to go to table number 10. I walked towards the table as I mentally prepared for my partner. It could either be a bully or a nerd or a bimbo or a hottie. I was prepared for anyone.

But I wasn't prepared for Edward.

I stopped when I saw him bent over the world map searching for a place. Damn, damn and triple damn! There went my geography class into ruins. I took a step further and saw him getting tensed. Slowly he got up and turned around.

My heart strings got entangled as I saw him give that devilish smile of his. Darn! He had a plan already. I walked forward and didn't leave his gaze the entire way. I wasn't backing out and I wasn't scared. I stood next to him.

His cologne hit me hard and once again I was reminded of the smell of pine. Seriously, how did this guy manage to get such a fresh smell every time? I didn't look at him but I could very well make out his red shirt, occur yellow pants and black shoes. Angry or not, he was mouth watering with his messy hair almost covering his eyes.

"You know, if you would've left then I would have been really disappointed" he murmured as he stepped closer to me. "I've never had a girl stand up to me before. I kinda like this new challenge" he was behind me now. "I was half hoping that you would give up" I could feel his body heat mix with mine. "But then" he ran his fingers over my shoulder blades and I balled my fists to stop myself from turning and hugging him "where would've been the fun in that?"

I could feel his warm breath on the back of my neck despite the scarf. I knew he could hear my heartbeat crashing against my chest but I was _not_ going to give in. Alice had been right. Edward could get through the walls no matter how hard they were. But I couldn't let him cross through mine. He would hate what he would see, just like I did.

This seductive side of Edward, it wasn't real. This was all a part of his act. He wanted me to become weak and give in. So I cleared my throat and boldly turned towards him. I didn't care if we were standing with the distance of only a few inches between us. I wasn't going to lose, and that was that.

"I'm glad I could be the source of your entertainment, Edward Cullen" I said in what I hoped was a confident voice as I looked in his eyes. Hah! Take that Cullen!

He was surprised...and impressed. I could see it in his eyes as the devilish spark in them lighted up. But at the same time, he was pissed off. No doubt because he'd lost this round. At least now he knew that with me, the softy softy approach wasn't going to work.

"Alright students" came Mr. Richards voice that made me turn away from him. After a moment I felt him move beside me but closer than before. "You all have the world maps on your table. I want you to write the capitals of all European countries on the given blank paper then continue with the other continents. You've thirty minutes to finish the task."

I quickly took out my pen and began to write the capitals without looking at the world map. I knew most of them. The constant need to move from one place to another had developed my interest in geography long time back.

I got so engrossed in finishing the task that I forgot I had to be on a lookout for Edward. He would attack the moment I let my guard down. And that's exactly what happened. One moment I was writing the answers, next moment I found myself viciously turn around and felt something wet thrown at my face.

I closed my eyes. First I thought it was water, then I smelt it and tasted it as some of it went in my mouth. Shocked, I opened my eyes and saw Edward smirking at me. I angrily wiped my hand across my mouth in order to stop the ink from going inside it which dirtied my hand as well. Other students had started noticing it and within seconds, I became the laughing stock of the entire class as Edward continued to grin devilishly.

"You rascal!" I spat out the ink angrily and lunged to attack him. He was prepared and dodged my attack with ease but I wasn't leaving him so easily. I jumped sideways and crashed into him but the guy was a bloody thick wall. He didn't even stagger and pushed me away as if I weighed nothing. Berserk, I jumped on him but he stopped my jump mid air by holding my upper arms tightly. I smirked as I'd been hoping he would do that and kicked his most sensitive part.

Edward yelled in pain and let go of me immediately as he bent and joined his legs to control himself. Meanwhile a circle had formed around us and the students were booing at me and cheering for Edward. But my dirty trick had silenced them and many of them were staring at me in wonder. I didn't get distracted though.

For a human, Edward was uncharacteristically fast and I had noticed this before, like yesterday when he'd flipped me in the air but had caught me before I fell on the ground. And right now a minute back when he had turned me with a jerk, stepped a good distance away and then thrown the ink at me. How he had managed to do all that, I don't know. But I knew I couldn't take him lightly.

After _them_ , perhaps he would be my most dangerous and powerful enemy.

Edward stood straight and glared at me. He looked almost mad. I braced myself as I knew that now he wouldn't be lenient because I was a girl. He was going to get rough, very very rough.

And he did.

He ran towards me and I jumped aside to dodge his attack but the moron had been prepared for that. He held my waist and sent me crashing on the ground. I banged my head against the floor and stars danced in front of my eyes.

Groaning, I turned and held my head as the pain became intense. I could hear the faint sounds of booing and laughter and I knew I'd lost this round. Then suddenly, I felt my back being supported with extremely gentle hands as I was lifted up and I found my head resting against a warm but a hard chest. My eyes were closed but the smell of pine had told me who it was.

Slowly I opened my eyes and found Edward looking at me. His eyes were...glittering. A strange storm appeared to be going in them. They were lightening and darkening continuously. That made me realize that I was in the warm cocoon of his arms. A sudden burst of electricity made me gasp as I was hit by his proximity and the way his eyes darkened at my gasp assured me that he felt it too.

I forgot the people around us as my focus became only on Edward. His black hair was actually quite reddish brown which I hadn't realized before. His eyebrows were perfect and there was a tiny mole near his right eye. I couldn't help admiring the absolute perfection and the beauty of his face. He really was gorgeous. What explanation had I given myself that I shouldn't be attracted to him...that there were many handsome men on this planet. Bullshit! Edward was the most handsome of all. There was nobody like him.

"Kiss the girl!" a sharp sound broke my trance and I looked around. People were whistling and hooting for us. Startled, I looked back at Edward and found a faint smile hovering on his lips.

"I think I deserve a winner's kiss" he whispered. No, no, no...no kissing. If he kissed me, no. I couldn't let him get so close. He wanted to torture me so that I left Durango. I was just a plaything for him. He wouldn't give a damn about me after having his way with me. He was a heartbreaker. He wanted to squash my heart, nothing else.

Edward leaned and I felt his breath on my face. My resolve shook. One kiss wouldn't hurt now, would it? But no, I couldn't let him do that. For him, it would be nothing but for me...it would mean something. I couldn't get so weak. His face inched closer as he cupped my face with his other hand.

 _"You really are an ugly bitch Isabella Marie Swan!"_ a sharp voice echoed in my ear. _"Do you really think you can attract anybody with this body of an elementary school girl?"_ That laughter, that bone chillingly ridiculous laughter.

" _Consider yourself lucky that_ _ **I'm**_ _giving you the real pleasure of life, otherwise with this kind of face even a street dog wouldn't cast a second look at you."_

My breathing became uneven. Edward's face was less than an inch away from mine.

 _"Come here, you bitch!" he cried. "Stop being a bloody tease or else I swear I'll make you pay."_

My nose touched with Edward's. Sharp, piercing pain filled my wrists as nails got dug in it and I thrashed wildly.

My back head hit the floor hard and I opened my eyes in shock. There was a deadly silence in the room. I looked around and saw everybody looking at me in shock. I got up and saw Edward glaring at me furiously. I gasped when I saw a deep red gash that ran all the way from his eye to his nose. I couldn't believe it. I had done this. _I'd scratched Edward, so badly that it was bleeding._

Guilt and pain warred heavily inside me as I looked at the wound I had inflicted upon him helplessly. Yes, I'd been mad at him but I'd never ever wanted to hurt him.

Because hurting him...hurt me.

I wanted to apologize. I wanted to scream that I was a freak. I wanted to tell him that I didn't want to hurt him but I didn't. Maybe this was better. If Edward continued to hate me, then he wouldn't try to kiss me or come close to me next time. That would be safe for him as well as me. Because it didn't matter how much I hated him, it didn't matter how much I was attracted to him, it didn't matter how much I wanted to be with him, it didn't matter how much he hated me or how he was the ultimate playboy, the truth was I didn't want him to get hurt...at least not by me.

Edward stepped forward with the obvious intention of strangling me but just then I heard a voice.

"May I know what's happening here?"

Within seconds the entire class dispersed as Mr. Richards came and stood between me and Edward. He looked at both of us then turned to me.

"Ms. Swan" he said quietly, "Please go and wash your face"

That reminded me that I still had ink all over my face, and still Edward had been ready to kiss me. "Yes sir" I said as I tried to ignore the fluttering in my stomach and rushed out of the classroom.

I ran towards the washroom as I battled between my guilt and conscience. I'd hurt Edward but it wasn't really my fault. I had been defending myself and it was going to be better for both of us to stay away from each other. But still, I'd hurt him. Now he was filled with more vengeance than before. I'd insulted him publicly. He was definitely going to take revenge.

How was I going to stay away from him?

I opened the door of the washroom and was rooted to the spot as I watched a shocking sight in front of me.


	8. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER 7**

Alice was making out heavily with a guy. She was sitting on the counter of the basins with her legs wrapped tightly around his waist. The guy's blue shirt was lying on the floor and its buttons were scattered around. Beside his shirt was Alice's pink jacket. Her arms were tight around his neck as she kissed him passionately.

I cringed as I saw the guy's one hand inside her t-shirt cupping her breast and the other around her waist. They were trying to pull each other more close though it wasn't possible since they were literally stuck together. I watched in horror as he tore his lips away from Alice and yanked her top up. He tossed it aside and attacked her throat.

My face felt hot as I heard Alice moan in pleasure and fist her hands in his hair. Her lips looked swollen from all the kissing and her face was redder than a tomato. She pulled the guy's face back and fused her mouth to his. I was about to turn and leave when something on the guy's back distracted me.

It was a black tattoo that started from his one shoulder and ended at the other. It was a thin wavy line that didn't seem to make any sense. But there was something right in the centre of his shoulder blades that caught my attention. It was a **β** , the sign of Beta. It appeared as if he was the second in command after someone else.

My gaze fell on their reflection in the mirror and I gasped as I realized that he was about to unhook her bra. The sound of my gasp broke them apart and he turned to look at me sharply.

"B...Bella" Alice stammered and immediately removed her hands from his neck. "God" she panted and looked around for her clothes. I turned and was about to run out of the washroom when I felt the a hand on my arm. I turned and was shocked when I saw it was the guy Alice had been kissing. How the hell did he come here so fast? I recognized him. I didn't know his name but he was one of the guys from Edward's gang.

He was almost as tall as Edward, maybe an inch shorter. His skin was pale like mine and he had dark brown eyes. He had a well toned body. He must be serious about his work out. His hair stood up in spikes and had I been a normal girl, I would have fallen for his looks straight away.

"Relax" he smirked. I jerked his arm away.

"Excuse me" I muttered stiffly and opened the door.

"Bella" called Alice.

"What?" I asked tonelessly without looking at her. I was too embarrassed.

"Um...I think you should wash your face" she whispered.

The guy chuckled as I looked in the mirror and balled my fists in anger. Almost my entire face was covered in ink and my hair looked terrible due to my physical brawl with Edward. Needless to say, I looked hideous.

Cursing Edward in my mind, I ignored Alice or at least I tried to as I moved past her and began to wash my face. I caught the glimpse of Alice wearing her t-shirt. The guy pulled her close and began to kiss her again as he wore his shirt. She struggled against him but it was clear that she didn't want to leave him so wasn't trying hard enough. He couldn't hide his perfect body of course since all the buttons had come out. I closed my eyes and concentrated on washing my face as I heard their pleasurable sounds of kissing.

When I was done, I wiped my face with a hanky and turned to leave. Alice immediately stopped kissing him and looked at me. She looked happy, embarrassed and apologetic.

"Bella" she began.

"I'm sorry for disturbing you guys" I said immediately. I just wanted to get out. "Um...bye" I said and hurried out. I walked towards the geography lab. I felt shaky after what I had seen. I hadn't realized when had Alice left the lab but then how would I? Edward had had all my focus. I didn't know what to think and how to react.

Alice had told me that Edward was a heartbreaker and his friends were equally notorious. Yet, she was making out with a guy from his gang. Why? Apart from confused, I was also feeling, betrayed. Why hadn't Alice told me about him? I thought we were friends. Damn, now I was getting insecure about our friendship.

God, I groaned. I needed to remember, no emotional attachment. Alice was going to be there only till the time Rosalie arrived. After that, I'll be alone again. So it didn't matter if she was making out with one of the boys who belonged to the gang of a guy who wanted to take away my home. Ultimately it was my fight and I had to win it. Alice could do whatever she liked. I didn't care. I _shouldn't_ care.

I reached the lab and blocked out the stares everybody was giving me. Now all of them thought of me as a freak. I was the crazy girl who had fought with the heartthrob and on top of that I'd refused to kiss him. I seriously needed a mental check up. I reached my table and was disappointed because Edward wasn't there. But it was better. After what had happened today, I needed some space.

"Why are you avoiding me?"

"I'm not" I said as I looked away.

"Yes you are" Alice said sternly as she kept her hands on her waist. She'd caught hold of me as soon as we'd had our lunch break and had dragged me to the garden without buying her lunch from the canteen. I was glad we hadn't gone to the canteen. I didn't want to run into Edward, not yet.

"Okay, speak up" she continued in the same voice.

"Really it's nothing" I fidgeted with my watch. Damn this was so awkward.

"Bella" she said in such a serious voice that I knew I was going to be in trouble. "You've two choices. One, either you tell me why are you avoiding me. Two, I lock you in the boys loo and don't let you out until you tell me"

Inexplicably, a smile broke out on my face. Trust Alice to be so cute while blackmailing. I knew she would do it if I didn't say anything. But how the hell was I supposed to talk about her make out session?

"Bella" Alice said in a warning tone.

"Look, I..." I looked away again. God this was so embarrassing. "I felt awkward, alright? I mean I've never...I mean I didn't know that you...what the hell!" I stamped my foot angrily. Why couldn't I say anything?

"Are you only avoiding me because you felt awkward after what you saw?" Alice asked in a surprised voice.

The effort to avoid her and her constant nagging made me snap. "Obviously. It's never a comfortable sight to enter in a washroom and see your friend half naked with a guy's hands all over her private places"

I bit my tongue. What the hell! Alice was staring at me open mouthed. I wanted the ground to swallow me. Damn my uncontrollable tongue! It always screwed me. Had I spoken more rationally then maybe I would've been able to reason with Edward and he wouldn't have been hell bent on driving me out of the town. I'd hurt Alice, my only friend after Jeff. But what could I do?

My years on the streets had prepared me for many things, like how to survive a sudden attack, how to remain alive on scraps and how to go on days without food and water etc. But it had never prepared for me for such confrontations where I had to talk about how I felt. Crap!

I looked at Alice. Her face had turned red. Suddenly all of this made me realize something. I didn't want to lose Alice, not yet at least. When Rosalie came she would leave me, but till then I wanted her to be with me.

"Alice I'm sorry I..." I began but then to my utter shock, Alice started laughing. I watched in shock as she laughed continuously holding her sides. Her face had turned red.

"Oh Bella, give me a minute, just a minute" she managed to say between her laugh and laughed harder. I didn't know what to do. What had I said? I hadn't been joking then what had made her laugh?

"Oh god Bella, you're so cute, so innocent" she laughed and to my horror, she held my cheeks and pinched them. What the hell! Then, she hugged me. I was too stunned to react. Even after leaving me she took a minute to control her laughter then looked at me properly.

"You still have no idea why am I laughing right?" she chuckled.

I hated not knowing. It made me feel unprepared and increased the possibilities of failing.

"I would like to know the joke, yes" I said sarcastically.

"Alright" Alice chuckled. "Come with me"

We went and sat on her secret place. Though not knowing was irritating me, I was glad that I still had Alice.

"I laughed because of your expression" Alice chuckled. "You should have seen the look on your face when you admitted that you were awkward."

I looked away. Being laughed at wasn't new to me. But this was the first time when I wasn't feeling bad about it.

"So?" Alice said after a few minutes' silence.

"So?" I asked.

"Aren't you going to ask me about...you know?"

"Oh that" I whispered. This was another new experience. I didn't give a damn about people. I minded my own business and expected them to do the same. I wasn't interested in what was going on in their life. But for the first time, I was curious about someone else. I was surprised when I realized that I actually wanted to know about the, well, awkward stuff.

"Yes, _that_. Don't you want to know?"

"Um...I guess" I said uncomfortably.

Alice chuckled as she sensed my discomfort and I glared at her. I didn't know how to have this girl talk and all but that wasn't my fault.

"That prank call yesterday, it was made by him" she said quietly.

"Oh the guy you were...I mean I understand" I corrected myself immediately.

Alice laughed but her eyes shone with happiness. "He is Jasper Montero. He made Ms. Parker call me"

"How did he do that?" I asked with raised eyebrows. Were the teachers too afraid of Edward and his gang?

Alice cleared her throat uncomfortably. "I don't know" she said softly and I immediately knew she was lying. She knew it, but she wasn't telling me. But why? Why was she telling me all this then lying to me?

"Jasper caught me when I reached near the office of Ms. Parker and I...I don't know how it happened. One look at him and I, I went crazy about him"

I felt something uncomfortable curl in my stomach. Same thing had happened with me for Edward and it was still happening. Everything was getting more and more confusing.

"I think he felt it too" she continued in a dreamy state. "He told me that he was crazy about me, had been since a long time. I don't exactly know what happened Bella. I really don't. We spent time in getting to know each other better"

That explained the swollen lips, red face and drunken look yesterday. Alice had been, forget it. _Getting to know each other better_ had certainly developed a lot in one day going by the way Jasper's hands...actually, forget that too.

"I hope you don't mind" she said a moment.

"Mind?" I asked her in a confused voice.

"Jasper is Edward's best friend Bella" she said in a surprised voice. "He'll do whatever Edward asks him to and me dating him with you being my friend when Edward is determined to make your life hell, it kinda complicates things"

So she wanted to get rid of me now because it would complicate things. She was choosing Jasper over me. I had been expecting this, I'd prepared myself for this. Then why was it still hurting?

"It's alright Alice" I said in a quiet voice though I could feel pain in my chest.

"It is? Really?" She asked in a surprised voice. I nodded. "Oh god Bella thank you so much!" she hugged me. "I can't tell you I was feeling so uncomfortable, so torn between you too. But now you've relieved me. Thank you so much" she said happily.

I hugged her back, just for a moment then let go. It was time to say goodbye. "Take care" I said softly and got ready to climb down from the tree when I felt her hand on my arm.

"Where are you going?" she asked with raised eyebrows.

"To class. It's almost time" I replied. Seriously, what was wrong with her? She had made her choice, then why wasn't she letting me go?

Alice looked in my eyes for a long moment then her widened in shock.

"Oh my god" she whispered.

"What is it?" I asked unwillingly. I just wanted to leave.

"Bella are you crazy? How could you even think like that?" she cried. I was starting to get paranoid. It had started giving me a headache. I wasn't used to thinking about so many things at once. For the last time, what the hell was happening?

"You thought I was finishing our friendship?" she cried. "That I was choosing Jasper over you?" I blinked. Of course she meant that, or did she not?

"Seriously Bella how could you?" she shook me. "Don't you trust me even a bit?"

My clueless face must've given her the answer. She shook her head in a hopeless way and took a deep breath as she tried to calm herself. After a few minutes, she relaxed.

"Bella" she said in a soft voice. "When I'd asked you that if you didn't mind me being with Jasper, I'd been asking if you weren't going to feel betrayed. Jasper is Edward's best friend. If Edward asks him to do something bad to you, then he will do it. I'm dating Jasper and you're my friend. What I meant was that were you okay with the fact that your friend is dating the best friend of your enemy?"

"Oh" I said as what she said finally dawned on me. Alice wasn't leaving me. She was asking for my consent. I felt as if a weight had lifted off my chest and I realized that it was sadness. Leaving Alice had bothered me a lot then I wanted and now that I knew that we were still friends, I felt happy again.

"Yes. Oh" Alice said angrily. "You really thought that I would leave you?"

I didn't reply and she got her answer. I felt bad as I noticed the hurt look in her eyes.

"Bella, how can you be so naive?"

Naive, ignorant, stupid...she could call me anything. What could I say? That all of this was completely new for me? Friendship, seeing your friend making out with the guy she was dating, getting to choose, misunderstanding the statements...I didn't know anything. I couldn't do anything about it. But there was one thing that I could do.

I could speak the truth.

"I've never had friends Alice" I said quietly as I looked away. "Ever. I don't know what do girls talk about, I can't understand the hidden meanings in any sentence and I...I'm just used to being alone since, forever. I've never had a normal school life. That's all I can say"

I waited. I waited for Alice to express her surprise, shock, anything. I waited for her to abuse me or make fun of me because of my loneliness. But I was surprised when instead I felt her arm around my shoulders. I looked at her.

"Now you aren't alone Bella" she said in a soft voice. "I'm there with you, and I promise I'll always be there for you"

Promises, so many of them had been made to me, only to be broken...then why did I want to believe Alice's promise? Was something mixed in the air of Durango? It was changing me rapidly. I didn't like it, but it was still happening.

"Do you love him?" I blurted out of nowhere and pursed my lips. Where had that come from? I hadn't even been thinking about it.

Alice removed her arm from my shoulders and looked away deep in thought. "I don't know" she replied quietly. "I just know that I'm very crazy about him and I want to know him better. But love, I don't know. He makes me happy, in a way. So for now, that's what I'm going to enjoy and look forward to"

I almost smiled. I had my friend and...I was going to try that I didn't lose her even after Rosalie came.

"But there's one thing that you should know and remember" Alice looked at me and said seriously. "If I ever have to choose between Jasper and you..."

She had pain in her eyes but she meant what she said, "I'm going to choose you. Always"


	9. Chapter 8

**CHAPTER 8**

Alice's words were still echoing in my ears as I arranged the books in the library. She had meant them, completely. It had been a promise, a promise that I believed...and it scared the hell out of me.

There were still too many whys in my mind. Like why was Edward hell bent on driving me out of here, why had Mr. Richards not punished me for creating a havoc in his class going by his extreme intolerance for indiscipline, why had Alice said that she will always choose me above Jasper? Had I started meaning so much to her in such a short span of time?

It felt...good.

I meant a lot to Jeff, I knew this. We'd had nothing but each other when we were, and still are, fighting our way through the world. If there was someone I knew I could rely upon to always have my back then it was Jeff. I hadn't meant anything to my parents and I'd never had friends to whom I could mean something. Now with Alice, it felt nice which was a scary thought. She didn't know anything about me and still she was being my friend.

These new experiences were...well, different.

"Bella?" I heard the voice of Ms. McKenzie and turned to look at her. "I've kept a two bags of wasted papers near my table. Go and put them in the trash for me"

"Okay Ms. McKenzie" I said and found the bags. They were heavy. I lifted one and came out of the library. There was a huge dustbin at the back wall. I removed its lid and was about to throw the bag in it when I felt myself being jerked around. The bag fell from my hands as I screamed and the next moment I found myself against the wall with Edward's face less than an inch from mine.

The sudden movement left me breathless and it took a moment for me to realize that I wasn't dreaming and that Edward was really here. I closed my eyes and waited for the thrashing I was sure I would receive. I had insulted and wounded him in front of everybody. No doubt he wanted revenge. I waited but, nothing happened. I could feel Edward's breath all over my face so I knew he was standing close to me. But why wasn't he doing anything?

I felt a warm hand on mine and took a sharp intake of breath. The touch was light and gentle. The hand traced my palm and fingers softly then slowly travelled up my arm. I could feel my breathing quicken as it rested on my shoulder. What was he going to do? Torture me sweetly then give me pain? Edward brought his hand to my neck and stopped. I braced myself for another getting-your-throat-badly-strangled experience. But minutes passed and nothing happened. I frowned. My eyes were still closed though.

Then I felt his hand removing my scarf. Immediately I opened my eyes and held his hand tightly, stopping him. I looked at him and was shocked. There was absolutely no wound on his face. It was perfectly clear and handsome as if I had never touched it. What had happened? I knew I had hit him. There had been blood because the cut had been deep. I had seen it clearly. Then where was it now?

He understood my questioning look. "I heal very fast" Edward said softly as he smirked. I was more confused. How was this possible? He seemed to be enjoying my confusion but not in a making-fun-of-me sort of way. He looked...happy to tease me. This was so not right, so unfair. I could deal with an Edward who was an arrogant asshole, but how could I deal with this Edward who was touching me as if I was made of porcelain?

Gently, Edward freed his hand from mine and continued to gaze deeply in my eyes as he slowly removed my scarf. I was too numb, too hypnotized by his eyes to stop him. His touch on my skin was making my heart do every kind of somersault. I felt powerless. Why wasn't I stopping him?

Edward frowned in disgust as he saw my throat. I glanced down and saw the red mark on my neck then looked back at him. He looked disgusted _and_ angry, with _himself_. I was sure that this anger was towards himself. But why? He wanted me to leave and because of that he was ready to hurt me. Then why the anger?

Edward looked at me and I felt hot under his intense gaze. Good lord, how did he do that? What was god thinking when he created him? This guy looked no less than Adonis, that much hot he was. Edward slowly traced his fingers across my neck and I felt ticklish under his touch. I swallowed hard as he pressed a point on my neck softly not leaving my eyes even once.

Without breaking the eye contact, he bent and pressed his lips to my throat. I closed my eyes and sighed as I underwent the most blissful experience of my life. His kiss was soft, warm and gentle. He pressed little kisses all over my neck and I felt my entire body go up in flames. Before I could hold him, he turned me around. He wrapped an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. My back arched as it came into full contact of his body and I moaned. He traced my back lightly with his fingers and I felt delicious tingles on my spine. Slowly, he moved my hair aside and I felt another warm kiss at the back of my neck. Tears welled up in my eyes as I felt safe and comfortable. This was the place where I always wanted to be.

This was home. I didn't want to let go of it even for a moment.

I turned sharply and hugged him tight. After a moment I felt his arms tightening around me. I smiled and I let the tears fall. They were comforting. All the pain that I carried within me every moment wanted to come out. I dug my nails in his back as I felt his lips nuzzling my neck. Yes, this was the perfect place. I wanted to stay here, forever. I pressed a soft kiss on his shoulder.

"Isabella" Edward moaned. "What are you doing to me?"

I wanted to ask him the same question, but I smiled in satisfaction when I realized that I affected him too.

"I can't stop thinking about you even for a moment. You're in my head all the goddamn time" He fisted my hair and softly pulled me back so that he could look in my eyes. "You're like a drug. The more I take, the more I want. So bloody addictive" I shuddered as he kissed my tears away.

I got the opportunity to do what I had wanted to do from the first moment I'd seen him. I touched his cheek and he closed his eyes. Turning his face into my palm, he pressed a warm kiss on my hand. I sighed and leaned against his chest with my hand still on his cheek. I wanted this moment to stop, forever. "Isabella?" Edward said quietly.

"Hm?"

"Why didn't you let me kiss you?"

Shocked, I opened my eyes. What was I doing? I jerked away and Edward looked at me in shock. My heart crashed against my chest as I was filled with self-loathing for what I had been doing. Where was my self control? Why was I leading him on? This time I couldn't blame Edward for taking advantage of me, though last time too it hadn't been completely his fault either.

"Stay" I took another step back as I trembled. "Stay away from me"

"Why?" The transformation from tender to furious in a second was really astounding. But I couldn't get distracted. Edward was a heartbreaker but he still deserved someone a lot better than me.

The only way to keep him away from me was by remembering that he wanted me to leave. This was just an act. And the only way to ensure that he didn't mislead me by his sudden bursts of tender moods was by making sure that he didn't act. And how was this possible?

Simple, by making him angry.

"Who the hell do you think you are, huh?" I cried. "What makes you think that you can throw me like a rag doll in public and later try to claim me as if I belong to you?"

Watch out your tongue! My heart screamed immediately. That was way too intimate.

"You can't claim otherwise Bella" Edward said furiously. He looked almost mad.

"I can claim that I don't belong to anybody! Least of all to _you!_ " I screamed. I wanted to run away. I wanted him to hold me. I wanted him to vanish from my sight forever. I wanted him to never, ever let me go.

"How dare you?" Edward screamed and I flinched as I stepped back. "How dare you say that to me?" He was having difficulty in controlling himself, I could see that. He was opening and closing his fists continuously. It was clear that he wanted to strangle me. His face had turned red and he looked...murderous. Even in the midst of looking scary, he looked gorgeous.

But I didn't care. I was sick of all the mental tortures that had been inflicted upon me since the moment I was born. I'd been fighting non-stop since last seventeen years. I wanted a break, no matter how small, but I needed one. Why? Why couldn't I live a normal life for once? Why did every new place where I went wanted to kick my ass? Was there no place for me on this planet? I was so, so tired.

"I hate you" I whispered. "I hate you from the bottom of my heart" I said loudly.

Edward looked as if he had been punched. Then, with a fierce growl he leapt on me and brought me crashing to the ground. This time he was careful though. He had placed a hand behind my head as we had fallen due to which I didn't get hurt. How this guy managed to have some sense even while being furiously angry was beyond my understanding.

All thoughts halted in my mind as Edward's chest crashed against mine. Breathing heavily, I looked up and found him looking at me. I almost gasped as I saw his lustful eyes. Damn, he wanted me. He wanted me as much as I wanted him.

"Never" he growled. "Never, ever say what you don't mean"

Oh my! So he knew I was lying. He knew I didn't hate him. I tried to push him away but it was a useless effort. He was like a heavy stone boulder whose each and every line and corner I could feel against my body. I knew he was holding himself carefully so that I didn't feel all his weight but it didn't matter. The worst part was that I didn't want to get rid of this stone boulder. This was getting torturous.

"Edward" I whispered. "Please, let me go. Please"

He took several deep long breaths as he tried to calm himself. Then, he closed his eyes and pressed his forehead with mine. I closed my eyes as well as I inhaled the fresh scent of pine. Mmm...intoxicating. I opened my mouth a bit and tasted the smell on my tongue. Crap! Just one inch, that was all it would take to fill myself with that delicious smell.

"I can't" he whispered and I was startled. He sounded, broken. "I can't let you go" he murmured to himself.

What? Then why did he want me to leave Durango?

"Why?" I whispered and waited with a controlled breath. His answer...mattered.

Edward opened his eyes and looked at me. The turmoil of emotions in his eyes scared me. What was it that he was hiding? What did he want?

"Because" he said slowly and stopped.

I waited.

"Because I haven't had my fill of you yet"

I was so overcome by shock that I couldn't react for a long moment. Then with a suffocated cry, I pushed him away. Tears filled my eyes again but this time I didn't let them fall. No, I wasn't going to cry because of him. I wasn't going to cry _for_ him. How could he be so ruthless and say this to me? But most importantly, how could I be so foolish to expect something, anything from him? Hadn't I known it already that Edward was heartless? Then why did it hurt...like hell?

Because I had been hoping, against my better judgement. Hoping to mean something to him. What? I don't know, but something...anything. And I wasn't. I was just an ordinary, ugly scarred girl who hadn't slept with him and that was driving him crazy. He wanted me...for now, because he hadn't seen me yet. Once he would, then _he_ would run away more than a thousand miles.

I stood up and backed away a good ten steps away from him. Good that he made no move to come close to me.

"You disgust me, Edward Cullen" I said with all the hatred in my voice. "I would never stoop so low to get associated with you. You're nothing but a desperate guy who wishes to get a taste of every girl. Do whatever you can, Edward Cullen. But I can swear that I've no interest in getting my hands down your dirty pants. You are a horrendous creature who isn't worth a moment of my thoughts. I hate you" I cried and ran inside the library, not looking back even once.


	10. Chapter 9

**CHAPTER 9**

"Are you alright?" Alice asked me for the tenth time and I nodded. She had been asking me this question since last one hour repeatedly and it was getting difficult for me to stop myself from snapping because I could see that she was genuinely concerned.

Since her confession yesterday, I was feeling a slight change in our bond. Somehow, I felt closer to her than before. I hadn't told her anything and we hadn't had any other heart-to-heart conversation but I was more comfortable with her. But I wasn't used to being asked whether I was fine or not so her questions had started irking me.

"Alice, I really am fine" I lied as smoothly as possible because the truth was...I wasn't fine. My encounter with Edward yesterday had made it impossible for me to sleep. I felt jumpy and on edge as if the lightest pressure would snap me open. My dark circles and my lack of appetite were certainly not helping with my appearance.

Since yesterday I was feeling as if I had been drained of all my energy. Even the simple movement of lifting my finger was proving difficult. I couldn't understand what was going on. Fortunately Jeff had had an early morning shift because of which we hadn't met otherwise he would have got really worried and I didn't want that.

Edward's confession that he was addicted to me and the harsh reality that he only wanted me to savage his thirst were driving me crazy. I felt torn. I knew I was an unwanted person but that didn't mean that I didn't have feelings. Mostly I kept myself devoid of emotions but Edward's truth had pierced me to the core. Bloody hell, this guy's words were making me immerse in self pity and were reminding me of all the times when I had been rejected.

Maybe I could be good enough for fulfilling a physical thirst but not good enough to be with for something more. Oh there was no denying in the fact that I was shocked that Edward found me attractive at all because till now nobody had except Jeff, but I didn't believe him because he was biased.

I wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep but I didn't feel sleepy. I wanted to run and keep running till no energy was left in my mind to think. But deep down, I didn't want this either.

What I wanted to do was to scream.

I wanted to scream at Edward and all the other guys who had made me feel insignificant, who had touched me yet had made me feel dirty about myself at the same time. Only Edward's touch didn't make me feel disgusted about myself. And no matter how much I craved for his touch, I didn't want him to touch me. It made me lose my control and losing control could be life threatening, that was the first lesson living on the streets taught you.

At times you have to be impulsive but most of the time it's more a game of instincts where you need to control your impulses and give all the control to your mind. And control, it should be there, always, otherwise you're screwed, big time. Edward was affecting me in a very bad way. He was generating feelings in me, driving me crazy and making me lose control. He was crushing all the rules I had vowed to live by.

In short, he was destroying all my barriers.

Alice had been right. Edward had it in him to cross the walls of any person. But I wasn't any person.

I was Isabella, the girl who had been on her own from the age when kids actually started getting hang of the world they live in. I was an ugly, good for nothing, troublesome bitch who didn't belong anywhere no matter how much she wanted to. And if a gorgeous playboy like Edward Cullen was after me only to kick me out later, then I wasn't available for that either. Not because I couldn't stand to get humiliated again, but because Edward just...we didn't match together, in any way.

My betraying heart always developed a bloody hope every time I thought about him. And my mind, it stopped working completely whenever Edward came in front of me. It just refused to function. For the first time, I just didn't know what to do.

"Bella!" Alice shouted. Startled, I looked up and blocked a huge water balloon from hitting my face by bringing my hand in front of my face just in time. But this wasn't the end. Within a minute, a huge crowd of students gathered around me and Alice and started throwing balloons at us.

"What the hell!" Alice screamed as she was hit on her cheek. The balloon was filled with red paint and left a huge mark on her dress as the color trickled down from her face. I tried to protect her by coming in front of her but she pushed me aside.

"No Bella" she said in a determined voice. "We're into this together" Despite the pain of getting hit hard by the balloons all over my body, I smiled at her as I felt the feeling of a defensive team well up in me. It reminded me of my time with Jeff on the streets when it was me and him against the world. And I knew, and I had accepted, that I could trust Alice.

Together, we backed away and managed to make it to the end of the corridor but the students were merciless. They had brought a never ending stock. I knew this was happening because of my yesterday's fight with Edward. They all hated me for humiliating him and hitting him.

Great job Bella, Durango wasn't going to be any different. Now you were a certified enemy of the entire school because you insulted their hero.

Alice held my hand and somehow we managed to run out of there. We ran fast as some of the notorious guys chased us but finally managed to evade them. We reached near the gardens and hid behind its walls. I tried to control my breath as the cold water and paint made me shiver. The girls and guys searching for us finally gave up and left.

Tired and hurt, I and Alice slid down to the floor. We didn't say anything for a long time. Ultimately, it was Alice who broke the silence. "Those bastards, what the hell do they think of themselves? How dare they do this to us? I'm not going to spare them. Bloody assholes!"

I had never seen Alice so angry before.

"Why did they do this?" she said as she rubbed her elbow. It had got swollen.

"It's all my fault" I said quietly.

"Your fault? How?" Alice asked in a surprised voice.

Of course, Alice hadn't been there at that time when I and Edward had wrestled with each other. She had been...busy. So I quickly told her about our fight yesterday but I didn't tell her about my meeting with him at the library. I didn't want to recall it.

Alice looked more outraged than before. "Edward behaved that way with you? I can't believe this. Is he insane? And Jasper didn't tell me anything either"

"Well, Jasper wasn't...there at that time" I pointed out feebly as I remembered the way I had seen Alice and Jasper together. It was going to take a long time to forget that memory, or probably never"

"Oh" Alice understood and I almost laughed as I caught her blushing despite all the paint on her face. That was adorable. Wait, did I just say adorable? Holy shit!

"I didn't know that Edward would stoop so low in order to send me away" I muttered to myself.

"Um...I don't think this could be Edward's idea Bella" Alice said uncomfortably.

"How do you know that?"

"Well...he just...doesn't seem like the...type you know, the kind of guy who would hurt a girl like this" she looked away and again I knew that she was keeping something from me. But she was right. Edward wasn't the type who would ask others to hurt a girl. He was perfectly capable of inflicting the worst sort of pain himself. Whatever, I was in this condition because of him, that didn't give me any reason to remain pleased with him.

"How well do you know Edward Alice?" I asked. For god's sake speak the truth just once.

"I don't know him personally" Alice said immediately. She was speaking the truth. "It's just that I and Jasper talk a lot so, I guess I can be sure about this"

"We can't attend the classes like this. I think we should go home" I said and got up.

"Assholes" Alice muttered. "They are so going to pay for this" she said and got up. I had a sinking feeling that Edward was going to get involved now. Alice was going to tell Jasper and he was Edward's best friend. This would only mean more trouble for me.

"What are you going to do?" I asked.

"I don't know, I'll think of something" she shrugged. "Let's go to my home today. It's closer"

"Alright" I didn't want to be alone because that would make me keep on thinking about Edward. I was getting used to having Alice around me.

I reached her home and found myself looking at a beautiful one storey house. It was brown and made of wood. It generated the feeling of love, warmth and affection. It resembled a lot to my dream home and automatically a smile came on my face as I looked at the beautiful flowers and greenery that surrounded the house.

"Beautiful" I whispered.

"You like it?" Alice asked with a smile.

"Of course, what's there not to like?" I had decided I was going to do a night stay here very soon. Maybe this place might succeed in helping me to get a sound sleep and I may get rid of my nightmares for at least one night.

I entered inside and marveled at the warmth of the fireplace. The entire floor was covered in red carpet with a lush dark brown furniture. The living room was cozy. Carefully, I removed my shoes so that I didn't spoil the beautiful carpet. I was about to remove my socks when I remembered the deep scars of two horrible cuts on my feet. They looked very hideous. When I'd received those cuts, I had just been glad that I hadn't lost my feet.

Luckily, Alice didn't pay attention as she was busy in removing her footwear. I followed her as we climbed upstairs and entered in her room. Her room was extremely girlish. The walls were pink and the bed was covered with the bed sheet of Hannah Montana and Lizzie McGuire. Various posters of barbie dolls were stuck on the walls and a huge box of chocolates was kept at the bedside stool. I had assumed that her room would be brown too but it was a complete contrast.

I noticed several books arranged haphazardly on the table. There, in the corner was a small photo frame that contained the picture of three girls. I went close to it and saw three girls laughing freely as they sat together on a swing. The picture looked recent.

I recognized Alice at once. She was in the centre wearing a yellow frock and black stilettos. Her arms were around two more girls. The girl on the right hand side looked really badass. She must be Rosalie. She was wearing a black jumpsuit. Her blonde hair was tied in a spiky style. There was a small tattoo on her neck but I couldn't make out its shape. She wore several silver rings on her right eyebrow and a needle kind of bracelet in her left hand. She had the mess-with-me-and-you-are-gone-buster look on her face. One thing was clear. Either we would become friends or enemies. There wasn't going to be any in between strangers stuff with her.

The girl on the left side looked more sweet and docile. She was dressed in a red check shirt and black trousers with her black hair loose around her shoulders. She had a soft face but her eyes held an inner strength in abundance. She wasn't the kind to take the blows. She had it in her to fight back.

"That's Emma on the left" Alice said and stood next to me. "And Rosalie on the right. We were crazy" she laughed. "Tight together since childhood. The ultimate awesome threesome"

"Where's Emma?" I realized that Alice had never mentioned Emma's name in front of me.

Alice's face lost all her shine and with a sinking heart I came to know the answer.

"Dead" she said tonelessly.

I didn't know how to respond. I looked at the picture again. The girl looked lively and happy. How could someone so beautiful and so...pure, be dead?

"This was our last picture. She died the same night"

"How?" I asked after a long moment.

"We were fooling around in the forest. Playing hide-and-seek like kids. Emma was supposed to look for us. Me and Rosalie hid together behind a tree. We were waiting for her...and we kept waiting. She never came" Alice went near the window and began to look out of it. "I and Rosalie got really pissed off, and worried. We began to look for her. We searched for hours, but we never found her. We informed the cops. At night, we were called by them. They had found the head of a girl in water"

Bile rose in my throat but I remained quiet. There was more to come. "It was Emma's head" Alice whispered. "I couldn't recognize it at first. How could I? I loved her green eyes, but they weren't there" I shuddered as a cold chill swept over me. Why did I feel that I knew who had done this?

"Her body parts were scattered all over the forest" Alice continued in the same tone. "Her intestine was hanging from the nearby branch of a tree. Her liver...it was found in the tiger's shit and her heart...her heart was found in the mouth of a, of a dead wolf"

My legs gave away and I fell down. I hit my knees hard against the wooden floor and pain lanced through me but I couldn't react. It had been _them._ I was sure of it now. It had to be. Alice didn't hear me. She was lost in her own world.

"Two months" she whispered. "I couldn't sleep for two months. Everything that happened, it had made me insomniac, and incapable of feeling anything. I was...blank. My parents tried very hard, Rosalie tried very hard, even I tried very hard to come out of it. Therapy, medicines, meditation, I tried everything. But nothing worked. I was lost. I had become like a lifeless body with an empty soul. Then suddenly one day, I don't know what happened. I was returning from school, and I lost my senses"

"You fainted?" I whispered.

She nodded. "The next thing I remember is waking up on my bed and everything was...fine, normal. I had accepted Emma's gruesome death and I was okay with it. I had moved on. I...I still don't remember how and why it happened" Alice kept her face in her hands. "It was as if somebody had pressed on a switch in my mind that had gotten off after Emma's death. Sometimes I feel as if, as if I'm a terrible friend. One day I was feeling as if my world had come to an end and next day, I was okay with everything. I don't know what happened. I just" she sighed.

I got up and slowly went to her. I was about to put my hand on her shoulder but hesitated. I didn't know how to do it. I wasn't good at this. Consoling and offering kind words to someone in pain, I didn't know what to say and what to do. I didn't know the feeling of being consoled and I didn't know how to console. But I felt horrible for what Alice had gone through. If I ever discovered Jeff, no, no, no...I couldn't imagine my life without him. He meant the world to me. But Alice was my friend too. And I didn't like seeing her in pain.

"It wasn't your fault" I said quietly. "You're a good friend" I meant it.

Alice turned to look at me. "Am I?" she asked uncertainly. I nodded.

She looked at me quietly for a long moment and I felt the shift in air. Another heaviness had decreased from our bonding. I knew that Alice had told me her worst secret and she trusted me. Perhaps that is why I didn't flinch when she stepped forward and hugged me. I didn't feel uncomfortable or jittery at all as I hugged her back. I felt, happy, to be there for her. She needed my support and I was willing to give it. She was my friend. It was my responsibility to take care of her. And I was going to do it, to the best of my abilities.

We broke apart when the door of her room burst open.

"Alice!"

Jasper stood at the doorway. He looked furious and worried to death. "Jasper" Alice was as startled as me due to his sudden appearance. I stepped back as he took long strides and pulled Alice in his arms uncaring that his clothes would get spoiled from the paint on Alice and her clothes.

He hugged her hard. "Are you alright?" he murmured. "Are you hurt?"

"No, it's okay. I'm fine" Alice murmured back softly as she patted his back in a soothing manner.

Jasper fisted his hands in her hair and slowly pulled her head back. They stared for an endless moment in each other's eyes then he crushed his lips to hers. I looked away as they kissed hungrily. He really didn't care that his face was getting smeared with paint. If this wasn't love, then what was it?

I knew they would be busy for some time now so I decided to clean up first. I went inside the bathroom and shut the door.


	11. Chapter 10

**CHAPTER 10**

As I had expected, none of them paid attention to me and I was glad. I didn't know much about Alice's relationship with Jasper except that whatever was happening was going very fast but I couldn't help feeling that Alice needed Jasper. I didn't know him but I felt he was right for her. Besides, who was I to comment on their relationship? I had never been in one to know one.

It took me nearly forty five minutes to clean up but I felt much better after that. I stood wrapped in Alice's dressing gown as I dried my hair. Then I realized that I had forgotten to ask Alice for extra clothes.

Shit. Now I would have to interrupt her make out session and I didn't want to see it. But I didn't have a choice. I knocked at the bathroom's door.

"Alice" I called loudly.

There was no response. Damn! I knocked and called her more loudly this time. Still no response. I couldn't hear any kissing sounds as well. What was happening? I opened the door and peeped out. It was empty. Where had Jasper and Alice gone? But it was better this way. I decided to take some clothes from Alice's wardrobe.

I stepped out of the washroom and walked to the door of the wardrobe quietly. I wanted to return before any of them returned and saw my scarred legs. I selected a pair of full sleeved white shirt and black trousers. They were the only ones that seemed capable of covering my full body otherwise Alice was into short clothes. I was lucky I found these.

I turned and gasped as I felt myself being pushed against the door of the wardrobe.

"Now this" Edward whispered "is what I was looking for"

 **ALICE**

I sighed blissfully as Jasper sucked my earlobe. God, this guy was like a drug. The more I had, the more I wanted. I clutched his hair and roughly pulled his lips back to mine. When he was around, I had no control.

We ravished each other's mouth. It had been twelve hours since I had last kissed him and already it felt like forever.

"Alice, Alice" Jasper murmured as he slipped his hand inside my t-shirt and clasped the hooks of my bra. "You are mine, only mine"

I smiled against his lips and pushed his hand away from my bra's hooks. I wanted to tease him and I was going to do it. I pushed him back but he didn't let go of me.

"Not today Alice" he breathed harshly and I marveled at the desire in his eyes. The desire that was there only for me. "Today you're not going to push me away" he said and clasped my hands tightly in one hand. With the other hand he cupped my breast and squeezed it.

"Jasper" I gasped as I felt a sharp surge of pleasure. Jasper pulled me close and shifted our positions. He stepped back and we fell on the bed kissing like crazy. I shuddered as he removed my t-shirt hastily and placed wet open mouthed kisses all over my neck.

"Alice" Jasper said in a voice thick with passion and turned. Now I was beneath him and he was kissing the living daylights out of me. I was drowning in the pool of pleasure when I felt a sharp surge of panic.

 _"Oh no. What is he doing here?"_

"Bella!" I gasped. Jasper looked at me in concern.

"Alice?" he asked as sweat beads appeared on my forehead. "Are you alright?"

I looked at him then pushed him aside. Quietly, I picked my t-shirt that he had thrown nearby and got up from the bed. I walked to the window so that there was a considerable distance between us. I needed this distance to think clearly otherwise Jasper's proximity was enough to ruin my concentration.

"Why is Edward here Jasper?" I asked quietly.

Jasper tensed and so did I. None of us wanted to argue but it seemed we were going to.

"He heard about what happened with you and Bella. He wanted to see her" he replied in the same quiet voice.

"Why?" I turned to look at him.

"Come on Alice you know why" he spread his hands.

"No I don't" I said immediately and felt the same old anger rising in me again. "I don't know because I don't understand. Edward treats Bella like shit. He wants to break her"

"No he doesn't" Jasper denied immediately. "He doesn't want to break Bella. He just wants her to leave"

"Why is he being so stubborn about it? So what if Bella is different? She doesn't deserve this!" I nearly cried at the unfairness of the situation.

"Edward doesn't deserve this either!" Jasper said angrily and I balled my fists. The fight was inevitable now.

"Bella is a lot more than he gives her credit for. I know it. I have seen it, I have _felt_ it for god's sake. He can't get anybody better than her" I shouted.

"That's for him to decide" Jasper looked away.

"Really? Why? Just because Bella is human? That's so not an excuse for the way he's treating her!" Why couldn't Jasper get it?

"He can do whatever he likes. It's his right"

"Only on you guys" I took a step closer as my anger increased. "He doesn't have any right on Bella or me. I can't see her getting hurt because of him"

"Why do you have to interfere? Why don't you let her decide what she wants?" Jasper asked in an exasperated voice.

"I know what she wants. She just wants a home because she has been running all her life. And Edward is taking it away from her" I felt hot angry tears spring in my eyes as I recalled Bella's eyes when she had told me that she had run away from home. She had tried very hard to mask her vulnerability but I had seen it. And it had pained me.

"Don't you think you're thinking too much about her?" Jasper said in a sarcastic voice. "She hasn't even told you much about herself. Then why are you siding with her?"

I remained quiet. Jasper was right here. I knew Bella was keeping many secrets from me and I practically knew nothing about her but still, I trusted her. I didn't know who she was, but I knew who she was going to be. And I couldn't tell Jasper, not yet.

"It's a two way street" I said quietly. "Even I'm keeping many things from her. That keeps us on an equal square"

"Really?" Jasper asked with a dry laugh. "Do you seriously think you can balance the information you're hiding from her from what she's hiding from you? She is just hiding her past life. If she tells about it to you tomorrow, it won't be a big deal where as you're hiding the very existence of us. If Bella comes to know about it tomorrow and decides to misuse it, that would mean an end of all of us"

"She would never do that!" I yelled as my anger reached its peak. "I know Bella. I trust her!"

"On what basis?" Jasper yelled back.

After a tense silence of few minutes, I finally replied. "I can't tell you. You won't understand" I looked away.

Jasper came and turned me roughly. "You're damn right I won't" he growled. "How can I, when you don't say anything? It has been two days, _two bloody days_ since you and I discovered that we are meant to be together yet you aren't letting me claim you! Why Alice?"

All the fight drained out of me and tears popped out of my eyes before I could stop them.

"Do you love me?" I whispered.

Jasper's hold on my arms went slack and he stepped back. He looked at me in shock. "What are you saying?" he croaked.

"It's a simple question Jasper" I whispered. "Do you love me?"

"Alice, I..." He couldn't understand what to say and turned away as he ran his hand through his hair uncomfortably. "I don't know" he finally admitted.

I felt my heart breaking and the pain was unbearable. When Bella had asked me whether I loved Jasper or not, I had been shocked because she had asked me my biggest fear, my biggest insecurity. I couldn't answer the question whether I loved Jasper until and unless I knew his answer.

"You want my body, my soul, my loyalty and my devotion" I whispered.

"You would have mine too" he said in an exasperated voice, still not looking at me.

"But you aren't giving me what I _really_ want! Love, Jasper" I said in a broken voice. "I want love. Can you give it to me?"

His silence answered my question.

It hurt, it hurt like hell. Then why wasn't there any sound? My heart was shattering goddamn it! Then why wasn't there any sound, like the sound of a glass getting broken?

"Jasper, please leave" I said and looked away. I couldn't bear to look at him anymore. It was too painful.

I felt his arms going around my waist and his chin on my shoulder. I shuddered at his warm proximity but I didn't turn to hug him. I had to protect myself. I couldn't break.

"Alice" he said in an agonized voice. "Please don't do this. We'll figure something about"

"You need to figure out your heart Jasper" I said quietly. "if you have one" I finished.

After a moment, I felt his arms leaving me and bit my tongue to stop myself from screaming. I so badly wanted to be in those arms but I knew I was doing the right thing. It was better to break it off now before it got too intense and deep that I and Jasper found ourselves unable to handle it later. That would be the ultimate doom, of all of us.

I felt him going near the door.

"And Jasper?" I said and looked at him.

He turned and looked at him. I nearly flinched from the agony in his eyes but somehow I held my ground. "Tell Edward to either accept Bella or stay away from her" I said tonelessly. "I'm not going to put up with his treatment of her"

Jasper's eyes hardened as his face got wiped of all the emotions. He wasn't my Jasper anymore. He was Jasper Montero, Edward's ever loyal and faithful best friend.

"And if he doesn't?" he challenged.

I took a deep breath. "Then I'll have to stop him" I replied.

Anger brimmed in Jasper's eyes. How could he look so handsome even while so angry? "You won't be able to...I won't let you"

I hardened my heart. This wasn't about us anymore. This was about Bella, and I wasn't going to make any compromises regarding that.

"Then I'll fight with you first" I said.

 **BELLA**

"What are you doing here?" I gasped as I tried to rationalize my thoughts. My heart was crashing against my chest.

Edwards ran his hand through my wet hair and brought them close to his nose. He inhaled their scent. I felt a warm sensation in the pit of my stomach and closed my eyes to enjoy it.

"Hmm. Beautiful" he muttered.

 _That_ opened my eyes. I wasn't beautiful. I wasn't. My entire body was a reminder of that. Oh shit! I was in Alice's dressing gown and though it covered my arms and upper body, it didn't cover my legs. Damn! Edward was still inhaling the smell of strawberry shampoo from my hair. He hadn't seen my legs yet. I had to do something before he saw them.

I tried to think but it was difficult with him so close and his proximity driving me nuts. What to do? What to do? Suddenly, I had an idea. Keeping my fingers crossed, I tried to soften my voice as much as possible.

"Edward" I whispered.

Slowly, he opened his eyes and I nearly curled at the dark desire flowing in them. God, how was I going to carry out when all I wanted was to cover that handsome face with kisses? I placed my arm under his chin. If he decided to look down then I could stop him.

"Why are you here?" I asked softly.

Edward let go of my hair and pulled me close. My heart came in contact with his and for a moment, I forgot what I was doing and why I was doing it.

"They hurt you because of me" he said in a slightly angry voice and ran a finger along my throat.

I smiled sadly and placed my other hand around his neck. I brought my face an inch closer to his. "I thought that's what you wanted" I said softly. "Me getting hurt, so that I would leave"

Edward closed his eyes and touched his forehead with mine. "I want you to leave" he said quietly. "But I don't want you to get hurt"

Why? And what was the logic behind all this discussion? Deciding to think about it later, I carried on my plan. I had to cover my legs first. I brought my lips close to his ear as my eyes focused at the back of his neck. "I told you to stay away from me" I whispered seductively. I really hoped it came out as seductive.

Edward's hold tightened on my waist and I closed my eyes in pleasure.

"I'm tired of trying to stay away from you Bella. I can't do that" he said quietly.

I was shocked. What did he just say? He was tired of trying to stay away from me? Did he really mean it?

My eyes found the nerve I was looking for and carefully so that I didn't raise his suspicions, I traced my fingers on it. I caressed the spot for a moment as Edward breathed in the crook of my neck. Ignoring the shivers that went down my spine, I closed my eyes and pressed the pressure point on his neck.

I held Edward tightly as his arms went slack and his entire body weight came on me as his legs gave away. He had fainted. I somehow balanced his weight on myself as I pushed him back so that he could lie on the bed. I pushed him on it but my hair got entangled with the buttons of his shirt and I fell over him. Breathless, I saw his absolutely perfect face. With his eyes closed, he looked all the more gorgeous. That rough hardness which was always present in his eyes had vanished. He looked like any normal guy except the difference was that he out beat all the normal guys.

I traced his nose and then his lips. They were soft and looked...yummy. I ran my hand all over his face and inhaled the sweet smell of pine. "Why?" I whispered. "Why did you come in my life?" I was about to get up when I felt tight arms around my waist pulling me back.

"Going somewhere?" Edward smirked. I was too shocked to respond as he slowly opened his eyes. "Trying to run away from me?" he taunted. In a swift movement, he shifted our positions and I was beneath him. "What happened to that fighter Bella? The one who was ready to show me my place?" he asked and slowly traced my lips with his fingers, the same way I had done his.

"You...you..." Darn! He was making me go crazy. I couldn't even formulate a proper sentence.

"I wanted to know what you were up to" he smirked. "So I just played along. I must say, I was both impressed and disappointed. Impressed because you know your moves Isabella Marie Swan" he said appreciatively. "Trying to make me faint by pressing the vulnerable spot, not bad" He leaned closer and our noses touched. "And disappointed because you couldn't see through my act. Did you really think I would let you overpower me? Haven't you learnt to deal with me...yet?"

So he hadn't been fooled by my seductive act. Not surprising at all. I must have acted terribly. Those boys were right. I didn't have it in me to lure any guy. But Edward had made me feel powerful. He had made me feel that my seductive charms could work on people. And now that I knew he had been acting all along, I was mad as hell.

"Get off me!" I said angrily and tried to push him away. Obviously, it was useless. He didn't budge an inch. "I said get off me!" I yelled and tried harder. Edward's smirk vanished at my repeated attempts to push him away. He held my wrists tightly in his hand and locked them above my head.

"Not so soon, Isabella" he said angrily and leaned closer.

"No!" I cried and turned my face away but Edward held my chin with his other hand and locked it in one place.

"I'm done waiting" he said.

"No!" I panicked and struggled harder but it was useless. My wrists were locked tightly and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't free my face. I tried to twist and managed to free my right leg. Screw the scars. I was going to hit him.

I hit his hamstring with my ankle as hard as I could at the point I knew would pain. That shifted my dressing gown slightly upward and revealed a hideous scar on my thigh but I didn't care. I wasn't going to let any guy overpower me, least of all Edward, who had the power to hurt me in a way nobody could. Edward winced. That gave me the moment I wanted and I managed to free my one hand from his tight grip. I fisted my hands in his hair and pulled his head back, away from me.

"GET OFF ME!" I shouted.

The door of the room burst open.

"Bella!" I had never been so glad to hear Alice's voice before. I and Edward looked at her at the same time. She looked horrified, shocked, pained. Because she wasn't looking at me.

She was looking at my scarred leg.

She had seen it, and she was going to be disgusted. I could handle it. I would handle it, somehow. But I couldn't let Edward see it. I wouldn't be able to handle that. I looked at Alice pleadingly as I tried to make her understand that I didn't want Edward to see me like this.

Alice looked at me for a moment then she glared at Edward.

"You!" she said to him hatefully. "Get off Bella right now otherwise I swear I won't be responsible for my actions"

I couldn't help being impressed. Alice was actually standing up to Edward. But where was Jasper?

"Go away Alice" Edward said lazily, not moving an inch from his place. "Jasper must be waiting for you"

"I've broken up with your best friend you jerk!" she shouted.

Shocked, I looked at her and that was when I noticed her red eyes. She had been crying. She must have heard my shouts and had come to help me. I felt grateful, happy, protected and...angry. Angry at Jasper. What had he done to hurt her? Why had they broken up?

"What!" Edward was shocked. That news was enough to make him get up from me. Fortunately, he was too busy in looking at Alice rather than noticing my leg. I quickly covered myself with the bed sheet. He went and shook Alice by her shoulders. "Are you crazy?" he shouted. "Why did you break up with him? Have you gone nuts?"

"Look who's talking!" Alice yelled back in an equally loud voice and pushed his hands away from her shoulders. "As if you're any better!"

Edward looked as if he had been punched, hard.

"What did you say?" he said slowly. That meant trouble, a big trouble. I could see his hands balling into fists.

"You heard me" Alice continued in her unafraid voice. Edward's anger wasn't affecting her at all. "I think you should go and look for your best friend Cullen" she said coolly. "He might need you to join him in whatever you guys are best at...being jerks"

I held my breath as I waited for Edward to pounce on Alice. He looked absolutely furious, completely mad. Then without uttering a word or sparing me another glance, he left the room, banging the door loudly behind him.

I felt the second wave of relief as I closed my eyes and released my breath. Edward had gone, for now at least. I still had a bit of pride left, thanks to Alice.

"Bella" Alice whispered.

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

She was watching me with an expressionless face. Her eyes were devoid of any emotion. It was the same look she'd had when she had told me about Emma's death.

Was I dead for her too?

"What the fuck happened to you?"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hi friends, I'm sorry for updating after so long. Actually my mid-term exams are going on due to which it becomes difficult for me to write and publish the story. Kindly bear with me for a week after that I will update the story regularly. Thanks for all your love and support. Please keep on posting your reviews and comments as they are valuable. Thanks...:-)


	12. Chapter 11

**CHAPTER 11**

I got up without answering Alice's question and removed the sheet from my legs. Now that she had seen my hideous scars there was no point in hiding them from her. I picked up her clothes and turned to leave for the bathroom but she held my arm and stopped me.

"Bella" she said quietly.

"I want to go home" I said as I stared at the bathroom door.

"You aren't leaving without answering me" she said in a firm voice. I glared at her.

"I'm not entitled to answer anybody"

"Yes you are, to me" she countered me immediately.

"Really?" I laughed sarcastically. "What makes you say that?"

"Because we are friends"

"Not enough"

Alice looked hurt by my statement and I felt terrible. She had just broken up with Jasper and needed my support but instead of being there for her I was being a bitch. But I had to do this. I couldn't tell Alice anything. I wasn't strong enough to bear her disgusted looks, also I didn't want her pity. But Alice wasn't the quickly-giving-up type girl either as her hold tightened on my arm.

"You are not leaving without answering me!" she said in a stubborn voice.

"Let go Alice!" I said angrily. Why was she so insistent?

"Damn it Bella! Why don't you trust me?" she cried. "I trust you, that's why I told you about Emma"

I felt horrible as I uttered the next words. "I didn't ask you to tell me about her, did I? When you started your story, what made you think I was interested in hearing it?"

"Oh really?" she nearly snarled. "Then why didn't you interrupt?"

"I was being polite!"

"Polite my ass!"

"Let go of me Alice"

"Make me"

"Enough Alice!" I shouted angrily and pushed her away. I was strong, stronger than an average healthy girl because of my years of practice. When you are living on the streets, you need to know a trick or two to be alive. Fitness and staying strong become a permanent mantra of your life. Alice, however wasn't strong enough. My push made her lose her balance and she fell down, banging her head against the floor.

"Alice!" I cried alarmingly and immediately rushed to her side. She groaned in pain. I checked the back of her head and was relieved to find that it wasn't bleeding. God, I felt terrible, absolutely horrible for the way I pushed her. Did any friend ever hurt a friend like that? No, never.

"Be...lla" Alice murmured. Her face had turned red with all the pain. Next moment, she fainted.

Crap! I picked her up in my arms and gently made her lie on the bed. I was about to press her head but then decided against it. I didn't know how was she going to react when she woke up, but it would be better if I left. I quickly went inside the bathroom and wore her clothes. All this while I was controlling my tears. I was the most horrible person in this world, more horrible than the people who had scarred me. At least they hadn't hidden their hatred for me. But me, I had hurt my one and only friend in school in the worst possible way.

 _"You suck at things, girl. Every bloody thing! But mostly you suck at what makes a person normal,_ _ **relationships**_ _"_ the words echoed in my ears. I had lost count of the number of times when I had wished to change everything.

 _"If you have even an iota of humanity in you, show mercy on people and stay away from them! Save them from all the pain and hurt that you are doomed to carry with yourself forever"_

Why, why did I do friendship with Alice? I should've continued with my _staying away from everyone_ motto. It would have saved Alice from all the hurt and pain I had caused her. The pain of being insensitive towards her feelings and the pain of getting hurt by a friend she unfortunately trusts, she didn't deserve any of this.

I came out of the bathroom and looked at Alice. She was a beautiful person, inside and out. She was right to feel hurt because I didn't trust her. It wasn't that I didn't trust her. I just didn't want to reread my life's dirtiest chapter in front of anyone, least of all in front of the person for whom I had started to care.

I went and checked her pulse. It was a bit slow but she was going to be fine. I pressed some points on her head that would reduce the pain when she would wake up. "I'm sorry Alice. I'm so very sorry" I whispered and left the room.

I rubbed the back of my head with one hand as I cycled towards home. A headache had started building up in my head since the moment Alice had got hurt on her head. But I ignored it and recalled each and every moment I had spent with her. Our first meeting, our slowly developing friendship, especially today when she had said with conviction that we were going to handle the bullies together and that moment when...she had said that she would always chose me over Jasper.

I swallowed hard as I stifled an enormous sob. Together, as she had promised. Yeah, definitely together, when I had needed her, when I had been alone. But right now when she needed me, we were apart. She had been right. I didn't deserve any friends, I wasn't worth it. Coming to Durango had started feeling like a mistake since the moment I had met Edward, now the issue with Alice only made this realization worse.

I decided that I wasn't going to make any more mistakes now. I was going to continue my old motto and be with myself. No matter what, I was not going to make any more friends. Never again. Not because I deserved to be left alone after all I had been through.

But because good ones deserved better.

Yes, there were good people like Jeff and Alice in this world. I had started believing it after meeting and knowing her. I reached home and sighed. My headache had started getting worse. I called up Mrs. McKenzie and told her that I wasn't going to come to work today.

Tomorrow again it would be a new day, a day of loneliness, without friends. And this time if anybody tried to bully me, I was going to face it alone.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hi guys, I'm sorry for such a short update. It's just that I'm extremely busy in projects and assignments. It's going to continue for a while. I promise to update more regularly after I'm free with all this. Thank you for supporting me and I hope that you continue to do so. God bless...:-)


	13. Chapter 12

**CHAPTER 12**

I knew something wrong was going to happen today the moment I woke up. My intuition kept on nagging me all the way to school. Very rarely it happens that my sixth sense works but whenever it does, well, the end result is never good...because I always ignore it, like I was doing today. I knew I shouldn't go to school but I went anyway. I was still depressed over my fallout with Alice and wanted to keep myself busy in studies. I knew she would be fine since she wasn't hurt that badly but I wanted to ensure this with my eyes. That too was one of the reasons why I was going to school.

I parked my cycle in the parking lot and was about to enter in the building when I felt myself being dragged roughly aside. I yelped in pain as sharp nails dug into my skin. I tried to struggle but to no avail. Whoever was dragging me was very strong. I knew it wasn't Edward because this time there wasn't the smell of pine but of rosewood. Still, I kept on struggling the entire way when we finally reached the garden and he banged me against the wall. I hit my head hard and stars danced in front of my eyes.

"What did you do to her?" a voice snarled and I realized it was Jasper. He had dragged me all the way here. I opened my eyes but everything was too dizzy. My head hurt. "Answer me damn you!" Jasper shouted in my ear.

"What do you want?" My vision had started clearing slowly. I could make out his blue t-shirt and black jeans.

"Answer me first you bitch!" he shouted angrily. "What did you do to Alice?" If he would have had it in him to turn me deaf with his shouts, he would have gladly done so.

"I didn't..." I began but he pinned me hard against the wall with his nails digging in my arms again. I yelped in pain again.

"Don't you fucking lie to me!" he shouted.

"It was an accident..."

Jasper threw me aside and I fell on my side. A stone cut my cheek. Tears came in my eyes as the pain blurred my vision again.

"I'm gonna kill you!" he shouted crazily. "I'm so going to fucking kill you for this!"

He looked dangerous and scary as he got ready to pounce on me. "I never meant to hurt her!" I shouted sincerely. Jasper had given me painful wounds but still I wasn't feeling angry, maybe because I knew that he cared for Alice and was doing this because of her. How could I hold him against that? I cared for Alice too.

"But you did!" he screamed. "You hurt her!" He looked ready to snap. I didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Well so did you!" I shouted the first thing that came in my mind. That stopped him from jumping on me. "You hurt her as well, that is why she broke up with you" I dragged myself back and got up.

"You know nothing about it" he said through gritted teeth. He was going to snap any moment now. His skin looked ready to burst since it was stretching hard everywhere, as if somebody was tearing it. What was happening? I had to do something. Something, anything to distract him.

"Yes I don't know" I agreed quietly. "But I know one thing" and I was sure I was right. "That you hurt her more than me"

A terribly painful look came on Jasper's face that almost made me feel sorry for him. He loved Alice and he had never wanted to hurt her. Then why had they broken up? Why couldn't I help feeling that it was because of me?

"Jasper" I whispered quietly. "Did you both break up because of me?"

Jasper looked at me and I stepped back from the hatred in his eyes. I didn't know he loathed me that much. Why? What had I done? Hadn't he tried to be friendly that day when I had caught him and Alice making out in the washroom? What had happened after that?

"Yes" his angry voice made me look at him. "We broke up because of you, Isabella Marie Swan" I barely blinked when I suddenly found myself against the wall once more with Jasper's face inches from mine. "Ever since you've stepped in Durango, you have made everybody's life a living hell. Why did you come here? Why don't you listen to Edward and just leave?"

I couldn't say anything. Was I so loathsome? What was it about me that made people hate me so much? What had I done because of which Jasper and Alice had broken up? The place where Jasper's nails had dug in my arms had started to burn. It was intense. I had never felt such kind of burning before. It hurt badly.

"Jasper" I tried to say more but the pain wasn't letting me concentrate. I tried to block it out but couldn't. It was too much.

"Just leave Durango you bitch" Jasper said furiously and mercilessly tightened his hold on my arms. "Leave before I do something that makes you start wishing you were never born. And no matter what, stay away from Alice. If she gets hurt because of you one more time then I swear..."

"Bella?"

I couldn't believe my ears when I heard that voice. Jasper was equally surprised as we saw Alice running towards us at the same time. She looked perfectly fine, as if nothing had happened to her at all. For the first time I felt better since yesterday. Alice was okay. She was fine. She stopped and looked at us. Her gaze fell on Jasper's hands on my arms and her eyes hardened. Crap! I didn't want her to misunderstand the situation.

"Jasper" she said coldly "let go of Bella right now"

"Alice" Jasper rushed to her and engulfed her in a hug, but she didn't hug him back. I was shocked when she pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" she said angrily. "Stay away from me"

I couldn't see Jasper's face as his back was towards me but I knew he was deeply hurt because though Alice was angry and was asking him to stay away from her, her eyes had a lot of misery in them.

"We broke up" she said in a slightly broken voice. She was trying very hard not to cry in front of him. "Don't touch me again"

"What? What did you say?" Jasper shouted angrily and held Alice in the same way he had held me moments back.

"Jasper what are you doing? Let go of me!" Alice cried in a painful voice.

"How dare you tell me not to touch you? How dare you!" Jasper went mad and fused his lips with hers. I could see Alice struggling against him but I wasn't sure. Should I intervene? It was their private matter. "You can't stay away from me! Just like how I can't stay away from you!" Jasper screamed when they stopped kissing.

"I don't want to be with you" Alice shouted. "How dare you hurt Bella?" What? Why was she fighting with him for me? My head had started spinning again. The burning in my arms was increasing continuously.

"I'll not leave you!"

"It's not your choice"

"It's not yours either"

"Let go of me"

"Don't say that ever again"

"I will say what I want"

"Just shut the hell up!"

"We broke up!"

"Like hell we did"

"You agreed"

"I didn't"

"Yes you did. You left"

"But I didn't agree you stupid girl"

I succumbed to the pain in my arms and didn't hear anything after that.

"Bella" I heard a soft voice and slowly opened my eyes. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust but I understood that I was in the school's medical room. I was lying on the bed and Alice was sitting beside my bed on a chair. She looked extremely worried. "Thank god" she smiled in relief when she saw me conscious again.

"What? How..." I began but she stopped me.

"Just relax okay. Trust me, everything will be fine"

"I...What happened to me?" The last thing I remembered was Alice and Jasper fighting. Jasper had been mad at me for hurting Alice yesterday. He had hurt my arms...I looked at my arms and found them completely bandaged, right from my shoulder to my wrists. Strange.

"You fainted" Alice replied patiently though her eyes had hardened. "Jasper had hurt you pretty bad" She looked at me shamefully. "I'm sorry Bella, this is all my fault"

I felt my head would burst. Why in the name of god was Alice apologizing to me? Why was she even talking to me? She should be amongst the bullies after what I did to her yesterday. Yet here she was, being nice to me...like a friend. Could this get any more worse? I looked away from her.

"Why are you here?" I asked tonelessly.

"Because you need me...and no matter what you say, I'm not going to let you push me away" she said defiantly. "I know whatever happened yesterday was an accident. You'd never meant to hurt me. And if you think I'm going to hold you responsible for it and leave you then Isabella Marie Swan, you're highly mistaken. No matter what you say, you aren't getting rid of me that easily"

Tears came out of my eyes and I couldn't stop them. I still didn't look at Alice. "Don't be so nice to me Alice" I croaked. "I don't deserve it"

"Bella, look at me, please" Alice requested.

Reluctantly, I did. Alice kept her hand on my face. "It's alright if you don't want to talk about your...scars" I nearly flinched at that. "I'm not going to force you. I understand that you need more time to trust me and I'm okay with it. But don't ever ask me to leave you. And don't ever think that I'm going to leave you, because I'm not"

I felt too drained to respond. I was happy but, I just wanted to sleep.

"And don't blame yourself for what happened between me and Jasper" Alice's voice hardened considerably. "Don't pay attention to whatever he says. He made his choice and I made mine. Now both of us have to live with it"

"But..."

"Go to sleep Bella" her voice had started fading in the background already. "And I promise, when you will wake up, I'll be here, for you...always"


	14. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

"What's wrong?" I asked Alice as we walked out of school. I had slept for the entire day and Alice had bunked all her classes to stay by my side. The nurse had given me a heavy sedative for my injuries because of which I still felt drowsy, but the pain in my arms had reduced to a great extent. They still throbbed but it was bearable. I'd had worse.

"Nothing" Alice replied quietly. She looked pissed off but I didn't push her for more information. I just had a feeling that this was not something she wanted to talk about and since she was giving me my space, I had to give her hers.

"You aren't going to work today" she said.

"What?"

"I informed Ms. McKenzie. She hopes you get well soon"

"But I didn't go to work yesterday as well"

"And you aren't going today either"

"Alice..."

"We aren't arguing anymore Bella"

I looked at her carefully. "You've started becoming bossy"

Alice smirked and I was glad to see her smiling. "I'm starting to learn that this is the only way to get through your thick head"

I huffed. Jeff always said the same thing. But it felt good to be bossed around for a change. Being on my own I had never had the chance to pamper myself. Alice was doing it for me and I was liking it.

We had just stepped out of the school building when a huge body crashed into the gates and collapsed the next moment. Startled, I staggered back. It was a guy who looked just like...

"Jasper!" Alice cried in a painful voice and ran forward. I followed her when I felt myself being lifted off my feet. It was so sudden that I gasped and the next moment, I found myself in the school garden under a tree. I closed my eyes to control the awful dizziness, but this time I knew who it was without having to look at the face. The smell of pine had hit my senses the moment he had picked me.

"What's your problem?" I grumbled when I was sure I wouldn't fall.

"Open your eyes" Edward commanded and I did. Not because he asked me to, but because I wanted to. I hadn't seen him since morning. Practically I hadn't seen anybody since I had slept for the entire day but still, I wanted to see his face. I looked at him and was shocked to see several bruises on his face. They had started turning purple and looked horrible.

I touched his face before I could think of anything. "What happened to you?" I asked in a horrified voice. Seeing him like this hurt me. A thought struck my mind. "Did Jasper do this to you?"

Edward held my hand to his cheek and turned his nose in my palm. Inhaling deeply, he softly pressed his lips to the centre of my palm. The pleasure made me close my eyes. I felt heavenly.

"Bella?" Edward whispered. I looked at him again and saw his hypnotic blue eyes filled with pain. "Are you alright?" he asked as he slowly rubbed his hands all over my arms. His touch was magical. I could swear that the little bit of burning that remained in my arms vanished completely.

I nodded. Why was he concerned about me?

"I'm sorry" he whispered and joined his forehead with mine.

"For what?" I whispered back.

"...Everything" he replied.

I opened my eyes and stepped back. "Everything?" I asked quietly. "Does this mean you aren't going to harass me anymore?"

That made him open his eyes and for a moment, he looked boggled as if he couldn't understand what he was doing. Then whatever he remembered must have been bad because he stepped away from me immediately.

"Fuck!" he swore loudly and I ruthlessly crushed the wave of hurt that rose in my heart. The bad Edward was back. My question had pulled him out of his sensitive Edward mode. I stepped aside to leave but now that the bad guy was back, how could he let go of me so easily?

"Where are you going?" he growled and I yelped since he pulled me back with my hair.

"Ow!" I shouted as he knotted his hand in my hair tightly. "What are you doing? Let go! Ouch!"

"Don't tell me what to do!" he shouted.

"Leave my hair you ass" I shouted. I didn't feel any pain in my arms now. And Edward's presence, it made me feel stronger than I felt moments ago. So I held his wrist by taking my right arm back. It was a bit difficult since my entire arm was bandaged but I did it nonetheless and twisted his wrist.

"Holy shit!" Edward screamed in pain. His hold on my hair loosened. I turned and freed my hair with one jerk. Then without thinking twice, I kicked him where sun didn't shine.

"Bloody moron! Stay away from me" I yelled and pushed him back.

Edward looked at me and the look on his face made me turn and run. I had barely run ten steps when I found a violent push on my back. I fell but the years of training made me bring my hands in front at the right time and I saved my face from experiencing the full impact of the fall. Before I could turn or try to get up I felt myself pinned to the ground heavily under Edward's weight.

I struggled against his proximity with all my might. His warm breath at the back of my neck and the feel of his body all over me was playing havoc with my senses.

"You can't escape from me Isabella Marie Swan" he growled triumphantly as he tied my hands behind my back with his. Before I could think of a retort or try kicking him from the back of my leg I saw Alice running towards me. She had blood stains on her dress and her face was wet with tears, but she looked mad as hell.

"What are you doing?" she shouted at Edward. "Get off her right now!"

"Go and tend to your baby girl" Edward laughed sarcastically while tightening his hold on my wrists. "He got some real punches from me this time" So Edward was responsible for Jasper's condition? But why had he hit him? Why had they been fighting?

"You are nothing but a bunch of lunatics" Alice shouted. Then to my surprise, she came and actually kicked Edward hard in his side ribs.

"What the..." Edward swore but Alice was determined to surprise me today. She kicked him once again and I felt the impact right down to my toes. She held his hair and forced him off me. He was too stunned to react. Panting heavily, Alice helped me in getting up. I looked at her gratefully as I also took deep breaths. Edward looked lanky but he was heavy. Alice's face had turned red. She looked weak. It appeared as if dealing with Edward had taken its toll on her strength.

"Stay away from Bella, you coward" she spat at him.

"Did you just..."

"Yes I did" Alice didn't let him finish the sentence. "Because that's what you are, a bloody scared coward who hasn't got the courage to stand up to the truth. You suck! How can you expect to lead others?"

"Shut up Alice!" came Jasper's angry voice from behind.

I turned and gulped as I took in his condition properly. His clothes were torn and were covered in blood at various places. His arms and face were filled with bruises but his anger was making him look more menacing than he usually did.

"Don't you dare utter another word" he threatened.

"Or what?" Alice shouted angrily. "What will you do? Kill me? Do it! I'm already in hell with you guys around"

Jasper moved towards her with an obvious intention of attacking her but I had had enough of these jerks. I stepped in front of her and he stopped. "Take another step" I warned "and I won't be responsible for my actions"

Jasper laughed like I had cracked a very funny joke. "Really?" he nearly spat at me but didn't. I had the weird feeling that he was controlling himself because of Edward. "You really think you can hurt me?"

"I can do a lot more than hurt you" I promised. This wasn't an empty threat. I was capable of causing a lot of damage to Jasper. In the morning I had been weakened by emotions that had given him the advantage of overpowering me. I wasn't going to commit the same mistake twice.

"And the kitten speaks" he snarled. "Go ahead. Show me what you got"

I looked at Alice, because I knew I was going to inflict serious damage now. This wasn't about questions, pride and ego anymore. This was about my and Alice's future at Lillibet high school. If I backed out or lost today, these guys were going to bully us to death no matter what conflicting feelings they had towards Alice and me. If I won or managed to proved that I wasn't a weakling, then I just might have the chance to survive this city.

Alice nodded at me, giving me the permission to do what I wanted. She must have understood this too. She may have very deep feelings for Jasper, but we had had enough of putting up with the crap of these guys. I looked back at Jasper and my battle mode was on.

"Bring it on" I whispered and stepped forward.

I was alert of the movement of every muscle in my body as Jasper and I started circling around. I could feel Edward's intense gaze on me but I didn't let it distract me.

I watched Jasper as he moved stealthily. His movements were soft and smooth. That gave him the advantage of sneaking on his enemies whenever he wanted. But they also had a flow. In order to keep them soft and noiseless, he put too much pressure on his feet. That could reduce his speed. I smirked in my mind. I knew what I had to do.

Suddenly, Jasper jumped but I had been expecting him to do that. As a result, I had jumped just a moment before him and caught him mid air. He was huge, heavy and strong. But I knew where he would be weak. He grabbed my left arm and was about to grab my right but I was quicker. With the speed of lightning, I pressed a pressure point on his shoulder.

He yelped in pain and let go of my left arm immediately. We landed on the ground but he remained unsteady as the pain in his shoulder was immense. I didn't wait and attacked him. He blocked my right punch towards his face with his left hand and I grinned because I had wanted him to that. He tried to move his right arm but the pain in his right shoulder didn't let him. I punched him in the centre of his ribs with my left hand and pressed few more points with my thumb.

Jasper yelled so loudly that for a moment I felt my ears would burst. I planted a hefty kick right where the sun didn't shine and he fell on the ground groaning in pain. I picked up his left leg and twisted it. A heart wrenching scream filled the garden.

It came from two people...Jasper and Alice.

I looked at Alice and saw her holding her stomach in agony. She was screaming as loudly as Jasper and seemed to be in too much pain. I looked back at Jasper who was sweating and screaming. He was useless now. I let go of his leg with a jerk and rushed towards Alice.

"Alice" I went and put my hand on hers that rested on her stomach. "Are you alright?" After sometime, she nodded. I noticed that she nodded after Jasper stopped shouting in pain.

I looked at Edward. He was staring at me slightly open-mouthed. Many emotions were visible on his face. Surprise, anger, pride, hate...everything. I saw Japer trying to get up but failing to do so.

"It's over" I said tonelessly as I looked at Alice.

She nodded and we turned to leave the garden. I could feel Edward's stare on my back all my way to the gate and I knew.

It was not over, far from it. It had just started.


	15. Chapter 14

**CHAPTER 14**

The next three days really played with my patience. I couldn't comprehend what was going on. Jasper kept on trying to harass me but Alice and I fought him off. Edward was always there whenever Jasper troubled me but he never interrupted him. Neither did he stop him, nor did he help him. He just watched me as I defended myself against Jasper. All this while Edward didn't have any expression on his face.

At times I felt as if I was giving a test. Jasper didn't feel any inhibitions whenever he attacked me and I didn't leave any stone unturned in defending myself either. He lost, every time. And that's why whenever he attacked me, it was with more rage and power. It was only and only my years of experience on the streets that was saving me. Jasper had an inhuman strength. He could run and was strong enough to break a pillar with one blow. I don't know how I was managing so far.

He was an intelligent fighter too. He had realized my specialty with pressure points and remained careful that I didn't get the chance to press any. But he didn't know how well I knew the human body. There was always a way through which I was able to defeat him. The surprising thing was. the more he lost, the more excited he became.

After wrestling with him continuously for an hour on the third day, I was sure that Jasper wasn't fighting with me for revenge. He was fighting with me because...he was having fun. Because he was enjoying it. Alice was still not speaking to him. He fought with me and absolutely refused to listen even a single word against Edward but at the same time he kept on trying to convince Alice to get back together. She was refusing because of me and I felt bad about it. I had tried to make her understand that this wasn't really required but she had made up her mind.

Meanwhile the entire school knew about my tiffs with Jasper. I hadn't met any other member of Edward's gang and I didn't want to. Handling two psychopaths was more than enough, thank you very much. Everybody remained at a distance from me. Either they hated me for messing with the most gorgeous guy in Durango or maybe they were afraid of me since I had managed to defeat his right hand till now, I don't know. But I was fine with it. As long as they were staying away from me and not troubling me I was fine. Whatever the reasons, I was getting my closure which I had always craved for and I was satisfied.

"I wonder what these jerks are going to do today" Alice muttered as we walked towards our first class. "I'm tired of their dirty games" she said in a disgusted voice.

"It's a lot better than my previous school" I murmured.

"What?"

I hesitated. Should I tell Alice? She hadn't pushed me for anything after that incident. As promised, she was giving me my space. I was always very careful about whatever I spoke in front of anybody. Today this statement had just slipped out of my mouth. Maybe this was a sign that I was getting more comfortable with Alice.

"It's alright" she said at my silence. "You don't have to tell me. Let's go"

"Umm, Alice"

"Yeah"

"These scars..." I stopped. It was still traumatizing to talk about them. But I trusted Alice more than I had ever trusted anyone, which was never. Maybe it was time to strengthen it. Alice waited patiently for me to make my decision. I took a deep breath. "I got these scars because of..."

"Alice!" a girl's loud voice came from behind.

Alice beamed as she turned. "Rosalie!" she screamed and ran towards a girl who was running in our direction.

I looked and saw Rosalie. She looked exactly how I had seen her in the picture in Alice's room. Wearing an extremely low waist black jeans that showed off the outline of her lacy red underwear, Rosalie had never ending long legs. Her high heeled boots made her tower over Alice at a good six inches. She had pierced her belly button and there was a beautiful huge tattoo on her left arm that started from her elbow and went to her shoulder. Her red top was just big enough to cover her breasts and the black jacket made her look like a rockstar. Her hair were tied in a tight bun and she wore deep layers of mascara and lip gloss. As I had predicted, she was a kickass!

She looked beautiful as she smiled when Alice went rushing in her arms. Hugging her tightly, Rosalie lifted Alice off her feet and twirled her around.

"How are you bitch? Bloody hell, I missed you so much!" Alice screamed as she laughed loudly.

"Not more than me you delicate doll" Rosalie smirked and put her down. However, her smile faded the moment she looked at Alice's face. She held Alice's shoulders tightly. "What happened to you?"

They really were close. Within one moment Rosalie had spotted the misery in Alice's eyes which she hid from everyone. I could see it because I was the cause of it but when it came to others, Alice always managed to fool everybody with her smiling face. Rosalie had caught it immediately.

"Nothing. Later" Alice promised then made her turn towards me. "Meet Bella" she smiled.

Rosalie looked, or the better word would be _glared_ at me. Crap! It could go anyway. Either we would be friends or sworn enemies and going by her expressions, it appeared we were going to be the latter. My heart sunk. I didn't want another enemy. I didn't want to lose Alice. But whatever it was going to be, I was not going to come across as a desperate person who needed friends. I was going to be myself. If she didn't like me then it was going to be her problem.

Rosalie looked at Alice. She nodded at her. A silent communication passed between them. She turned towards me and walked at her own pace. I waited. When she reached right in front of me, she scrutinized me from top to bottom. I felt as if I was being X-rayed, still I patiently waited for her to finish her inspection.

When she looked back in my eyes, something made me snap. "Are you done with your inspection? See what you like?" I don't know why I said that. Maybe because I felt...rebellious, because of Rosalie. There was something about her that just made me...angry.

Rosalie, who had clearly not been expecting this smirked. "So the kitten can talk. Not bad, but you need to know something, Isabella Marie Swan" So Alice had told her about me. but I wondered what it was. Had it been good? I don't think she would have told anything bad. But then, wasn't Rosalie supposed to be nice to me because I was Alice's friend? "Merely having a smart mouth isn't enough to become my friend. To become my friend, you need to prove your worth" So Rosalie was the kind who preferred to form her own judgments about people. Not bad.

"I don't need to prove anything to become your friend" I said boldly. "If you want you can be with me or you can go and shit your ass off" Really, what was happening to me?

But to my amazement, both Rosalie and Alice laughed. "Alright Isabella" Rosalie chuckled. "You do get points from me for this one. It isn't enough but for now it will do"

I wanted to retort but I grinned. Rosalie was right. Though it was weird, it was not a bad start.


	16. Chapter 15

**CHAPTER 15**

"For how long have you guys been dealing with those assholes?" Rosalie asked as we ate lunch on the tree's branch.

"Ever since Bella has arrived" replied Alice.

"Hmm, do you think we need to show them whose the boss?"

"How exactly are you planning to do that?" I asked.

"You tell me" Rosalie said bluntly as she looked at me. "You've managed to keep them at bay somehow, especially that notorious Edward. Don't tell me you are only brawns and no brains, because then I'll hate to kill you myself"

"I would like to see you try" I challenged back. "But there's one thing I should let you know in advance. I know how to set someone's soul free"

Alice gaped at me while I met Rosalie's gaze unflinchingly. I don't know how I had revealed it but this was true. I had killed. I had murdered people, even if it had been only for self defense, it hadn't exactly made me feel good about myself. It still didn't. There was something about Rosalie that was making me behave recklessly. I was feeling more...violent. I had wanted to bash the face of a guy who had checked me out in the morning. How he had found me attractive despite my bandaged arms was a mystery to me but I had wanted to punch him nonetheless. This was strange. With Alice I usually felt calm and composed but after meeting Rosalie, my street side was coming out.

"It's good that you know how to kill" Rosalie said tonelessly. "You'll need it"

I had expected her to take this as a joke and Alice to flinch or laugh off the conversation but both of them were looking at me seriously. And the weird thing was, they weren't scared or disgusted by me. They had taken in this information about me being a murderer very coolly, as if it was a very normal thing and didn't matter at all. The bell rung before we could continue the conversation. Lunch time was over.

"Let's go" said Alice. Rosalie was the fastest. Despite wearing high heels she was lithe and agile not to add also very graceful. What surprised me was that she was more graceful than Alice. Her stance was perfect, and her body moved like a poetry in motion. What and who exactly was she? The moment we climbed down I felt my arms being grabbed from behind.

"What the..." I screamed but just then a strong hand covered my mouth. Ugh! What was this guy's problem? Why couldn't he just let me be? He always had to grab me from behind. And on top of that he had discovered our secret place. Damn him!

"Let go of me Jasper!" Alice screamed as Jasper too held her hands tightly behind her back and carried her over his shoulder.

"Never" he swore and began to move out of the garden towards the forest.

I struggled as Rosalie sprinted after him. "Let her go you bastard!" she shouted and planted a hefty kick on his calves. Jasper staggered but somehow maintained his balance. Alice planted a kick in his ribs and he groaned in pain because of which he had to let her go. Alice climbed down from his shoulder and pushed him away.

"I hate you!" she spat at him and ran towards me. "You!" she shouted at Edward who still had my arms in a tight grip. "Haven't you had enough?"

Rosalie merely watched the drama unfold. For a moment I felt pissed off that she wouldn't help me like she had helped Alice but then reprimanded myself the very next moment for having this thought. I and Rosalie weren't friends, so definitely she wouldn't help me. Besides, I was capable of taking care of myself. I didn't Rosalie or anyone else.

"Stay out of this Alice" Edward snarled at her as he pulled me closer. My back collided with his chest and I struggled to maintain my composure. Like I've said before, proximity, warmth and anger are never a good combination.

"I won't" Alice cried defiantly. "You've been doing nothing but troubling my friend ever since she came to Durango. We've been putting up with your crap since a long time. Now let go of her before I do something I regret"

"I-command-you-to-stay-out-of-this" Edward said each word slowly but forcefully.

I felt my struggles slowing down as the frequency of that tone hit me hard. I felt as if something heavy was above me which was weighing me down. I noticed the similar change in Alice and Rosalie. Alice began to look...submissive, though her eyes showed her reluctance but she was still submissive. Even Rosalie looked shaken. I couldn't really blame them. What was there in Edward's voice? How the hell did it manage to make me feel so...small? I felt like listening and obeying to each and every command of his.

"Stay here. Do not come after us" Edward said in the same commanding voice. I felt something tight tie around my wrists and struggled harder than before to free myself. I tried to kick him back but he dodged them easily. And I felt something tight tie around my legs as well. All these days, watching me fight with Jasper had prepared Edward for my tricks. Now he knew that I used my mind all the time whenever I was in a fight. He had come fully prepared. He picked me bridal style but upside down.

I felt myself turning red as I realized that his one arm was just slightly above my breasts and the other, well a bit above my thighs, just a bit.

"Let go of me you bastard!" I cried as he left the school's garden and entered in the forest. Alice and Rosalie still seemed to be under the command of his voice as they didn't move an inch or tried stopping him.

"What's your problem?" I shouted on the top of my voice as I tried hard to break the ropes. How could a rope be so strong? I had the experience of being tied down before and my training had made me strong enough to break free of any kind of rope. Then what was it about this rope? Why wasn't it breaking? Argh!

Edward didn't bother to respond and continued taking me deeper. I don't know for how long he walked. And saying that I tried very hard to break free would be an understatement. I did every possible thing I could but failed. After an hour, I just gave up due to exhaustion and went limp. As it is I was in an uncomfortable position in his arms. On top of that his smell of pine wasn't very helping. Plus his gorgeous body and proximity, I couldn't win every battle against him. Astonishingly, even in that uncomfortable position, I drifted off to sleep.


	17. Chapter 16

**CHAPTER 16**

The first thing I wanted to do after opening my eyes was scream. And why did I want to do that? Because I was gagged. Jeff always said that it was my natural tendency to go against the flow. If people were walking in a crowd, I wanted to stand out. If everybody was separate, I began to look for a companion. When there was summer and everybody wanted to sit in an air conditioned room, I actually searched for hot chocolate. And in winter, ice cream became my favorite dessert. You see, naturally against the flow. It wasn't something I did intentionally. It just happened.

And here I was, gagged. Whoever had gagged me had done it so that I wouldn't shout. So naturally, wanting to shout was my first wish. My vision cleared gradually and I took in my surroundings. I was in a huge room with my hands and legs tied to the bars of a huge poster bed with silver chains. I was lying above purple velvet covers. It felt soft and comfortable. For the first time in my life I was experiencing the feel of velvet. The room was shimmering with lights. It was beautiful. Filled with classic styled expensive furniture, it reeked of wealth and power.

There was a huge diamond-shaped chandelier right in the centre of the ceiling and the bed was surrounded by foamy net covers that hung from the supporting stands. The room reminded me of those luxurious rooms you get to see in the movies. What the hell was I doing here?

Oh yeah right. Edward. So now he had abducted me. Bastard, I was definitely going to kill him now. I struggled but it was no use fighting against the silver chains. Nothing had prepared me about this. My wits had always helped me in getting the key whenever I had been caught and imprisoned. The technique to break a silver chain, if there even was one, well, I hadn't learnt it yet. This was one of the situations where I felt helpless and relied on Jeff to rescue me.

Darn! Jeff! He must be worried sick about me. How much time had passed since Edward had kidnapped me? And for god's sake, where the hell was I? Edward was so going to have it from me. I tried to shout again but it was useless. Then I remembered, I at least knew how to get rid of the gag.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Then slowly, inch by inch I began to move my gums up and down as I tried to remove the gag stuck between my teeth. After a lot of efforts, I finally managed to do so and brought it down to my chin. As soon as it came off, I screamed with all my might.

"EDWARD! YOU BASTARD!"

The door flung open next moment to reveal an angry looking Edward. In different circumstances I would have swooned over my first glimpse of his bare upper body. It was perfectly chiseled, like carved in a stone. I was sure that the best sculptor in the world won't be able to carve such a perfect body. His packs and abs were clearly visible and the beads of sweat that started from his neck and travelled all the way down to his navel made heat rise in my body. The lights in the room only made him glow more.

But then I remembered. This handsome bastard had given me nothing but trouble right since day one. Starting from a furious glare it had now ended up at abduction. What was the next step going to be, murder? I glared at him furiously.

"Why are you shouting?" he growled.

"I can't believe that instead of apologizing you are asking me such a ridiculous question!" I screamed.

"Why the hell should I apologize? And for what?" he looked beyond furious.

For a moment I wasn't sure if I had heard right. Then, my bridge of patience broke. "You abominable egotistical ass!" I spat with all the venom in my voice "How dare you manhandle and kidnap me? Who the hell do you think you are? I knew you needed a psychiatrist but abducting a girl just because she isn't responding to the heat in your loins is way too much! You absolute shithole, I swear I will..." I couldn't continue further because Edward was beside me in a jiffy and had gagged me again. That drove me beyond crazy. It had been so difficult to get rid of that gag.

He held my head with his left hand and pulled me towards him while at the same time leaning a considerable distance towards me. That mutt! I couldn't do anything since both my hands and legs were tied. I could only stare in his furious blue eyes as he held my face merely a centimeter away from his. The smell of pine and sweat was more evident than ever. His warm breath managed to disturb my thought process even now. I realized the awkward position I was in. With my hands tied to the bars of the head rest, my chest was more out than normal and since he had pulled me up, it had caused my hands to strain against the chains as a result pushing my breasts towards him even more. It was as if my breasts were begging him to kiss them.

I started struggling again. I hated this. I hated him for torturing me so much. I hated myself for being so aware of him even in these circumstances. To think that I still wanted to know the taste of those luscious lips that did nothing but spew venom at me whenever they worked, it showed that I was really a desperate, shameless bitch! The reminder of it brought tears to my eyes and I stopped struggling. What was the use? I wasn't in the position to do anything anyway.

I closed my eyes so that my tears didn't fall. Even though I had sort of given up, my little bit of left over pride and old habit of never ever showing my emotions to anyone wouldn't let me cry, least of all in front of this cold, heartless guy who was not even a human.

Yes, I was sure of it now. Edward wasn't human. It wasn't possible for a human to have such kind of body, possess so much of strength and move at lightning speed. The truth was, I had started suspecting this right since the first moment I had laid my eyes on him. But strangely... _I had never considered it abnormal. I hadn't even thought about it! Why?_ I was always, always so bloody cautious about my surroundings. I always carried necessary stuff in my backpack because I never knew when I might need to run.

Handling notorious bastards all my life had taught me a lot of things. Then why hadn't I pondered over such an important piece of information? Durango had messed up my mind a lot more than I realized. I suddenly felt as if I had lost all my ability to think. What other torture was in store for me now? I turned my face sideways with my eyes still closed. There was nothing I could do, for now.

"You are never ever going to speak to me like that again" Edward emphasized on each and every word slowly. That soft voice coated with steel. His cold blooded monster mode was full on.

I felt too drained of energy to respond. What could I say anyway? I was gagged. Edward's fist knotted in my hair and he forced my face towards his again. But I didn't open my eyes. I hated him so much at the moment that I didn't even want to look at him.

"I don't justify my actions to anyone" he continued as he pulled me closer. I stopped myself from wincing as the chains pressed more in my wrists. I would be damned if I let him know how much it was hurting me. "But still I'll answer just this one question which I'm sure is going on in your mind right now"

That prompted me a lot to open my eyes but I didn't. My other senses of smelling and hearing as it is were heightened due to his proximity. The least I could do was have my vision in control. I felt his hot breath against my cheek.

"I'm doing this for your own safety" he whispered in my ear. So he had come closer than before. I tried to turn my face away again and surprisingly, he let me. Then I felt hard fingers touch the corner of my neck with softest of pressure. I shivered as an entirely new feeling went down my body. I began to feel cold the moment it got over.

"I can't let anybody hurt you"

I opened my eyes at that. There was no way I could miss the complete sincerity and agony in his voice when he had uttered those words. I couldn't stop myself from turning my face towards his. His warm lips had been touching my left ear. Our eyes met and I could only stare at the pain I saw in his eyes. He was hurt, deeply badly hurt.

"Bella" he whispered and placed his lip on my cheek. I held back a moan as he kissed them softly. Heat rose all the way up from my neck to my face at the perfect sensation it brought into me. The sensation of...belonging. Edward held the gag with his teeth and slowly pulled it down to my neck. I could feel his sharp pointed teeth all the time on my skin but it didn't hurt me even once. I balled my hands into fists as he placed a warm open mouthed kiss on the side of my neck. I shuddered as he licked the spot right where he had kissed me. Without losing the contact with my skin he kissed me all the way up to my cheek and this time, i couldn't hold back my moan.

I could feel him smiling against my skin as he covered my face with kisses. "Bella" he whispered my name like a prayer as he pressed his other hand in the small of my back providing more support to me.

"Edward" I whispered back. He stopped kissing me and I opened my eyes to look at him. He was looking at me savagely, like he wanted to eat me up. And the worst thing was, I wanted him to do so. I wanted him to eat me up with that beautiful mouth of his. What a desperate bitch I was.

Desperate bitch! That pulled me out of my reverie. With a strangled cry that was filled with disgust for myself and anger for Edward, I looked away. How could I stoop so low? I was craving for the ultimate bad guy to kiss me.

No! Never!

Since when had I become so weak to give into temptation so easily? When I fought a battle, winning was never an option for me. It was what I _had_ to get because every time my life was on the line. This case wasn't any different. I had been kidnapped for heaven's sake, how could I be safe here?

"Bella don't..." Edward began but I turned towards him and cut him across.

"Why did you stop?" I asked in a tone that held all my hatred for him. "Go, have your way! Do whatever you wish to, I'm not really in the position to stop you, am I?" And with that, the traitor tears finally popped out. Great! Now even they didn't belong to me anymore. They too had left me. Edward closed his eyes and inhaled a great deal of air, undoubtedly making an effort to calm himself.

"You are nothing Edward Cullen, absolutely nothing" I hissed as more hot, angry tears made their way down to my cheeks. "I wanted to ask you that why are you doing this to me? What is it that I have done that has made you determined to unleash the monster in you because I know you are anything but a human. But you know what, I don't give a damn about it now. Not anymore. And you know why? Because you mean nothing to me, absolutely nothing!"

I knew I had done it. The way his blue eyes lit up in anger told me that I had instigated him real bad this time. But I didn't care about the consequences any more. The worst he could do was either rape me or kill me.

I was prepared for both.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hey guys, I'm really sorry for being so late and irregular in updating. it's just that the last few weeks have been real hectic and sickening. They've messed me up completely. The entire month of December has been real taxing and still I haven't solved all the issues yet. So here's another request. Kindly bear with me till the end of this month. Hopefully the new year will mean a new beginning and I'll be able to update regularly from then. Hope you won't stop supporting me. Till then, Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year. Also, I need to know another thing to increase my level of clarity. I want to know what you think about the characters of Edward and Bella. Please let me know your conclusions regarding their character sketch. What do you think about them? It would be helpful to me...:-)


	18. Chapter 17

**CHAPTER 17**

I could feel bile rise in my throat but I swallowed it down. I was still tied to the bed and had no idea how much time had passed. I groaned and closed my eyes as I felt another wave of pain pass through my body. No, I wouldn't cry. No matter what happened, I wasn't going to shed tears on him. His harsh and painful words were still echoing in my ears which he had said after my outburst.

"What makes you think I want you, you bitch?" he had all but spat on my face. "You are nothing but a disgusting slut. Trust me, even if you would be the last girl left in this world I wouldn't want you...It's your body that desperately wants me" he had snarled. "Want me to give you a proof?" And with that, the bastard had lightly traced the curve of my breasts to which they had immediately responded by the tightening of my nipples. The moron, how I had wanted to wipe off that smirk from his face. "You crave for me Bella" he had shown me the bitter reality mercilessly. "No matter how much you claim otherwise, no matter how much you bash Jasper up and pretend that you're strong enough to protect yourself, the truth is that I can take you whenever I want to and you know that you won't be able to stop me, not because of your lack of physical strength in front of me but because you wouldn't want to" he knew he was bloody right and wasn't leaving any stone unturned in enjoying that fact. "I don't want anything to do with you because you do nothing but disgust me. Everything about you does that. I take nearly a hundred girls everyday and believe me, your thought doesn't cross my mind even once. The bed you are lying on" he had grinned menacingly "is the bed where I have a limitless supply to satisfy the heat in my loins"

It had hurt. It had hurt so badly bloody goddamn it! And the bed, I had wanted to break it into pieces. I had wanted to get away from it right away. I had wanted to bath to remove the scent of it from my body completely and forget the feel of the velvet cover forever. And the heartless monster knew it.

"Then why?" I had all but screamed in frustration. "Why have you brought me here?" Didn't he have any compassion in him? Why was he so hell bent on putting me through hell?

He hadn't answered my question. He had merely stared into my eyes for a long moment. "I can't wait to get rid of you" was all he had said at last and the next moment I had heard the sound of a loud bash as he had banged the door behind him. If he wasn't human, then what was he? Who was he? And why did I feel so familiar with him?

And since then, nobody had come in my room again. I had been lying still, drifting in and out of sleep with a restless mind filled with uncountable thoughts. Today, I couldn't stop myself from recalling my childhood. The block out technique wasn't working at all.

I was born in Boston in a wealthy family. My father, Charlie Swan was the number one architect of the city and my mother Renee Swan was the top fashion designer. Needless to say, I was a child born with a silver spoon in my mouth. I had an entire villa sized room to myself filled with every toy a child can only dream of. I never had to wear the same clothes twice and I had never seen my fridge without chocolates. At that time, I had known the feel of velvet against my body. I had had a group of friends who too belonged from the elite social circle my parents were an active part of.

At that time, life was all about looking better than other high class girls, getting spoiled and having access to countless pocket money. I was always the best dressed and best looking girl of my group. I took pleasure in seeing the envious looks which even the older girls used to pass me because of my out-of-the-world-dresses. Perks of being the daughter of the top fashion designer.

But all of it had changed when I had run away from home. All of it had changed after that night when I had seen the truth of my parents.

Wait, my parents? Oh sorry, did I mention they are dead? Did I also mention that my mother had killed my father? A bitter laugh escaped my throat. Sorry for not telling earlier.

My mistake.

 **ALICE**

"Let go of me right now Jasper!" I screamed as he held my arms behind my back and continued to kiss me mercilessly on my throat.

We were lying on the bed. Well, technically I was lying on the bed and Jasper was lying on me. He had me completely pinned under him. My arms were paining since they were pressed between my back and the bed and Jasper's grip on my wrists was so tight that I couldn't move them even an inch but he paid no attention to it and continued kissing me. Instead of answering to my shout he merely shifted up and took my mouth inside his making it impossible for me to speak.

Damn, I wish I was as strong as Bella. She always knew a trick or two to find her way out of any iron-like grasp. Hell I couldn't even move my legs since Jasper's heavy legs were covering them. Not to mention that I wasn't able to use my complete strength either since my body was betraying me against his proximity. I was marveling at the sensation of his hard arousal against mine so naturally thinking of the ways to escape was proving to be damn difficult.

When Jasper was sure that I wouldn't start screaming again, he held my wrists with one hand of his and tore my top from front with the other. The sound of the desperate tearing made me moan. He growled with satisfaction when that barrier of clothing was cast aside and dived his head between my breasts covering them with kisses. I gasped at the heavenly painful sensation as he gave me hickeys from my throat down to my navel and licked them the very next moment to sooth the pain.

"Alice" Jasper moaned "how could you deny me from doing this for so long?" I gasped as he placed open mouthed kisses all over my stomach.

"Jasper no..." I tried to stop him but to no avail as he covered my mouth again. Blood roared in my veins and I longed for him to take me right then and there. Gosh! I had missed him so much. Fighting with him hadn't done me any good. Staying away from him was like an unbearable physical pain. But I needed to stop things before they went too far. How? How could I do this?

"Do you love him?" Bella's question echoed in my ears.

Jasper was removing the straps of my bra from my shoulders.

"Do you love me?" my question echoed in my ears. The question I had asked Jasper.

"I don't know" his reply snapped my attention back to reality and I took in a sharp breath. Jasper was about to kiss me intimately. Disgust and pain filled my heart as I looked at him. How could I be with this guy? His body had accepted me but his heart hadn't. I wasn't some cheap whore whose body could be used for quenching the thirst of a horny guy who knew he was meant to be with me but didn't have the guts to admit it.

With a loud cry I used all my strength and freed my hands from his grip. He looked up at me but before he could even blink I punched him hard right on his nose. I wasn't a human girl so naturally my punch had more power than that of a human girl. Luckily Jasper wasn't a human either otherwise my punch would have killed him right then and there. I had seen Bella fight many times and had realized that her biggest asset was her alert mode. No matter how much pain she was in, she never let her guard down and didn't stop paying attention to her opponent's movements even once. It always gave her the advantage of planning her moves and manipulating the moves of her enemy. Whenever she had fought with Jasper she hadn't given him the time to cope after injuring him and had immediately launched her next attack.

I did the same.

Jasper was shocked and in slight pain because of my punch so without wasting a moment I pushed him sideways with all my might and freed my legs. Being a cheerleader had made me an expert on gymnastics so I easily shifted all the force of my body on my legs and hopped off the bed.

"Alice..."

"Come near me and I swear I will reject you" I blurted the first words that came in my mind.

Jasper's face went white with shock as he stared at me disbelievingly. I was equally shocked as I had never meant to say those words out loud. But now that I had said them, there was no point in taking them back. Besides, they were the truth. The way things were going between me and Jasper, one of us was going to reject the other either way. Next moment I found myself on the bed again. Apparently, he had moved with his Beta speed due to which I hadn't been able to see him. Jasper's heavy body was all over me and his furious eyes were an inch away from mine. I cringed in fear at seeing his red eyes. He was trying very hard not to transform.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your life Alice" he snarled. "I'm done with the soft approach. Now you'll see the real power of a Beta" with that, he dived in the crook of my neck.

"NO!" I struggled and screamed when I felt his sharp teeth against the skin of my neck. "No Jasper no, please no!" I wept bitterly. No, I couldn't let him mark me. I wasn't ready and I knew Jasper wasn't ready for this either. But by saying that I would reject me I had instigated him in the worst possible way.

The door opened with a bang and Jasper was pulled away from me. I cried in pain as his nails scratched my arms but I was glad when I realized that he hadn't marked me yet. I opened my eyes and saw Rosalie who was glaring at Jasper in disgust. Her lower lip was cut from a side and was bleeding profusely. There was a deep wound on the right side of her forehead as well.

"Leave her alone you heartless bastard!" she screamed. "How dare you try to mark her against her will?"

I got up and immediately began to adjust my bra on my shoulders. I looked at my top that was lying on the floor but it had become useless now. Rosalie removed her leather jacket and tossed it in my direction as she continued to glare at Jasper who was breathing heavily while giving her a murderous look. I quickly wore the jacket and zipped it right up to my throat.

"How the hell did you get free?" Jasper screamed. "And how dare you interfere in my marking process?" His hands had turned red because he was clutching them too tightly in an attempt to control himself but with the way his skin was tightening with each passing moment it was clear that he was seconds away from losing control. I looked at Rosalie in panic who too had realized what was happening but being the I-don't-give-a-damn-about-anyone badass my friend was, she refused to get scared or intimidated by the possible consequences.

"Did Alice allow you to mark her?" she asked in a chilled tone. I was getting really worried now. Jasper's anger was dangerous but Rosalie's anger too was something that couldn't be taken lightly. If she did _that,_ Japer would have to go through unbearable agony.

"I don't need anybody's permission to mark her, not even hers" Jasper growled. His voice was changing. It was becoming more heavy. He was moments away from changing.

"It might be true for your other members, but it won't work on Alice and you know that" Rosalie said defiantly. Her eyes were completely focused on Jasper. If she did that then...

"What makes you say this bullshit? Of course it would work on her! She belongs to me! She is mine!" Jasper shouted. His bones had started to rattle. I don't think we had more than 10 seconds.

"No it won't" this time Rosalie said in a much quieter voice. Scared, I looked at her and realized that she was doing this purposely. She was intentionally instigating Jasper to transform. But why? It was so very dangerous.

"It won't work on Alice and you know this very well" she continued. "You need Alice's permission before marking her"

"And why do I need it?" Jasper's sharp teeth had started getting longer. Maybe 5 seconds.

"Because your Alpha's tone doesn't affect her"

I screamed as with a loud cry Jasper transformed into a huge brown wolf and then, he lunged for Rosalie's throat.


	19. Chapter 18

**CHAPTER 18**

"Bella, can you hear me? Bella come on, wake up. Bella!"

I could feel the sound of Jeff's voice ringing in my ears but it was unclear. Maybe because I was fast asleep. Was I dreaming? But if I was, then why couldn't I see him? Still, the voice had alerted my mind enough to know that Jeff was nearby. How had he found me?

"Bella talk to me" his voice was very near. "Come on Bella pay attention"

If he was so near then why wasn't he freeing me from the chains dammit? And why the hell couldn't I open my eyes?

"Speak up Bella! Wake up!"

Sleep had completely left me now. I was wide awake. Maybe not awake since my eyes refused to open. I was alert though. The feel of the cold metal against my skin was a proof that I was still tied in silver chains. But I was starting to panic slightly, why couldn't I open my eyes? I tried again but my lids remained closed, as if they were stuck to my eyeballs with world's strongest glue.

"Don't open your eyes" Jeff warned me immediately. "You haven't become strong enough yet to communicate like that"

Strong enough yet? For what? And communicate in what way?

"Just talk to me" he said in a much calmer voice. He must have sensed my rising panic. But how? What was happening? "Where are you?" he asked in an urgent voice. It was so weird. I could hear his voice from so close as if he was nearby yet, I knew he wasn't. "Answer me Bella. Just think. Don't try to speak. Where are you?"

Okay, questions could be answered later. Right now I had to tell Jeff about everything. Edward's madness had gone too far and I couldn't keep up with it anymore.

"Who is Edward?"

What?! He could hear my thoughts? How the...

"Yes I can hear your thoughts Bella" I heard his chuckle. "I promise I will explain everything to you later. Right now tell me, where are you? And who is Edward?"

 _I don't know where am I Jeff,_ I thought helplessly. I was going to kill Edward for making me feel helpless. One of the worst feelings in the world was of helplessness. It meant that you weren't capable enough of taking care of yourself anymore, or of the people who matter to you. I wasn't so weak, yet Edward had made me, or _tried_ to. I was still not giving up. The moment I got free, I was going to do some serious ass kicking. High time I taught Edward Cullen that he is not supposed to mess with Isabella Marie Swan.

"Okay" I could hear Jeff taking a deep breath. "Tell me everything, from the beginning"

Funny since I had to _think_ about everything rather than saying it out loud. I thought about my first day at school starting from the weird behavior of Mrs. Fisher like how she had tried to be over helpful for everything about which I had wanted to talk to Jeff but had forgotten after running into Edward twice that day.

Forget and me? It had been the first sign that Edward had started messing up my mind since the moment I saw him because I _never_ forgot anything! My over cautious nature and all time alert attitude didn't permit me to do that. Yet I had forgotten to talk about Mrs. Fisher. Edward Cullen was so going to have it.

I continued with my meeting with Alice and thought about the way our bond had developed despite all the impossibilities. She hadn't got bored of me even though I had hardly spoken to her on the first day. And I told, I mean _thought_ about how I still continued to hang out with her despite knowing that she was keeping many things from me because somewhere I had felt it was right.

I couldn't help feeling that my privacy was being hindered when I thought about all those passionate, thrilling yet hateful moments with Edward. I never hid anything from Jeff. He knew me like he knew himself yet I had wanted to, and still did, to keep those moments to myself. But now it didn't matter anymore. I was done with living in Edward world and the time had come to burst that bubble.

When I finished thinking about everything, right down to the moment when Edward had abducted me and brought me here, there was a long silence. What had happened? Had I lost this weird mind link with Jeff? He hadn't spoken a word while I had told him the story.

Jeff? Urgh! How the hell was one supposed to think loudly? Jeff, are you there?

"Yes, I'm here Bella" he replied after some time and I sighed with relief. I knew he wasn't here but his voice was enough to stop me from hyperventilating. He could help me from wherever he was.

I need to get out of here, I told him. Or rather thought.

" Not only here" he replied after a long moment. "We need to get out of Durango"

 **ALICE**

"Rosalie!" I screamed as Jasper lunged for her throat in his wolf form.

But he couldn't reach her.

Because he was blocked by another wolf who had jumped in the nick of time in front of Rosalie. Jasper collided into him hard and got thrown back. He let out a piercing growl as his anger edged over its peak but this time I didn't look at him. Instead, my eyes were glued to the huge pitch black wolf who had jumped in front of Rosalie, saved her and was now standing protectively in front of her.

He growled at Jasper who growled right back as he settled on attack mode. I saw Rosalie. She looked slightly shaken but was still standing her ground nonetheless. Sudden realization dawned on me. That is why she hadn't been afraid of Jasper's attack. That is why she hadn't moved from her place either. Because she had known.

She had known that she would be saved.

Was she the mate of this wolf? And if she was, then who was he?

As if in reply to my question, the black wolf turned sideways to look at me. I staggered back as I met his hazel green eyes which were now dark green with fury.

Emmett Parker, gamma of Edward's Sunshine pack.

So Rosalie was Emmett's mate. They must have found it out recently because till now none of us had interacted with Edward's other pack members. But I had seen all of them so it was easy to recognize Emmett with his hazel eyes.

Emmett howled loudly and Jasper did the same. They must be using their mind link to speak to each other but they were also showing their anger by howling out loud. I don't know what sort of debate was going on between them. Maybe Emmett was threatening Jasper that if he attacked his mate then in return he would attack me since I was Jasper's mate. But whatever it was, Jasper's relaxing position as he sat on his haunches showed that he wasn't intending to attack Rosalie anymore.

I and Rosalie continued to watch in silence as the two wolves whose huge sizes had covered more than half of the room continued to mind talk. At times they would growl and at times they would simply stare at each other. However, I knew that they were anything but relaxed.

Finally, after a long time, Jasper got up. I tensed. What was he going to do now? He turned towards me and our eyes met. His silver eyes were filled with suppressed fury. I tensed even more as I understood that he was giving in for now but I would have to face him later. Then without saying anything he left the room angrily. I let out the breath I had been holding.

I looked at Emmett who had turned to look at Rosalie. Her heels were giving her a height of five feet ten inches yet he towered over her easily with a few inches. They were staring in each other's eyes deeply. I wanted to look away as it was a private moment but something in Rosalie's eyes stopped me.

She wasn't looking at Emmett with love or affection, like a mate should. No, instead, her eyes were filled with something else. Pain, and anger. Where as, Emmett's eyes were blank and unreadable. But why? Was Rosalie facing the same problem like I was?

Like Jasper had done with me, had Emmett had accepted her body, but not her heart?

Emmett raised his enormous paw and touched Rosalie's upper lip lightly where it was bleeding. It healed immediately. He did the same with the wound on her forehead. That healed as well. This made me look at the huge angry scratch marks Jasper's nails had left on my arm. He hadn't even bothered to look at them before leaving.

Emmett stared at Rosalie for another long moment then he too turned and left the room, shutting the door behind him with his paw.

My legs gave away and I sat on the bed. The shock of whatever had happened finally began to set in. Rosalie came to me immediately and took my hands in hers.

"Are you alright?" she asked tenderly.

Slowly I nodded my head at her and with a sigh she sat beside me. I didn't know how to approach the subject of Emmett because I knew that Rosalie wasn't happy about it. So I asked a safer question.

"For how long we have to stay here?"

"For as long as their Alpha says" she replied bitterly.

"Um" I decided to get it over with. "So, Emmett is your mate" I said in a hesitant voice.

"No"

Surprised, I looked at Rosalie. She looked right back at me with unflinching eyes. They were as blank and unreadable as Emmett's had been moments ago.

"I rejected him"


	20. Chapter 19

**CHAPTER 19**

Wait.

That's what Jeff had told me to do after our crazy mind boggling mind talk. So here I was, waiting for him in Edward's lair. It must be evening. Nobody had come to meet me after Edward and seriously, who was I expecting? I wondered if Alice and Rosalie were here too. Argh! This was so fucking crazy. I hated waiting. I always liked being in action and remaining tied to this bed had made me incapable of any movement. Holy shit I couldn't even itch the side of my neck where Edward's teeth had been. And I really wanted to use the washroom. The arrogant asshole had clearly not thought about this. Bastard!

Just then the door opened and I got ready to glare and yell some serious abuses at Edward. But my glare was immediately replaced by astonishment, because the person standing at the doorway wasn't him.

It was Mrs. Fisher.

Fuck.

Like seriously F.U.C.K.

I should have seen this. Darn! Why wasn't I surprised? I should have been more careful. Why hadn't I suspected her? Because my mind had been too occupied with Edward. Fuck you Bella, you deserve to get screwed. And fuck you too Edward. Just wait till I screw you.

Mrs. Fisher came and sat beside me with a dinner tray. She looked at me apologetically as she bent and turned the lever on the side of the bed. The headrest began to rise and soon I found myself sitting straight, but it felt so weird with my hands tied above me. I felt like a small kid who had been punished for some mischief.

"I'll have to feed you" she said softly.

"What?" I shouted. "What are you saying?" This couldn't be happening!

"Isabella..."

"I'm not going to be fed by anyone! And no way on earth am I going to eat this food" No freaking way! My years on the streets had taught me to never eat the food you aren't familiar with, especially when it is sent by the person you don't trust.

Or even worse, hate. Like I hated Edward.

"But..."

"No means no!" I yelled and looked away. I didn't trust Edward. What if he had mixed some sort of drug in that food? Maybe he wouldn't have, or maybe he would have. Who knew? After seeing his madness I didn't think he was incapable of anything.

"But Isabella..." she tried again but I was in no mood to listen. I glared at her.

"If you can help me in getting out of here, then I'm all ears. Otherwise you can return to Lillibet High and pretend to continue as a receptionist" I said savagely. It was a bit harsh but I didn't give a damn. All these people had made me feel like a fool. And I hated it.

Mrs. Fisher sighed as she took the tray back. I closed my eyes in frustration. Had I really expected her to help me? Not really, but as they say, desperate means call for desperate measures. And right now, to get out of here, I was willing to try every measure.

I couldn't wait for Jeff to arrive. He had said that we would have to leave Durango. I had been shocked by this news. Why had Jeff said that? And this mind link thing? Why hadn't I ever known about it?

So Jeff too had kept secrets from me. I felt betrayed. After being betrayed by a very close person I had never trusted anybody. But, I had trusted him. He was the only one in the whole wide world whom I had trusted more than myself. And I thought he had reciprocated the same since we never hid anything from each other. But now realizing that he hadn't told me everything hurt. A lot.

Right now, for once, I wished for my brain to stop thinking. For once...I wanted my heart to stop beating. It was true that I cursed every day that I spent alive, but along with that the harsh truth was that I may be strong enough to bash an entire gang of guys but I didn't have the strength to commit suicide.

Did it make me weak, because I didn't have the guts to do it? Or did it make me strong, because I wasn't weak enough to do it? I don't know.

The bitter truth was...I had nothing to live for.

Nothing.

What is nothing? Is it something that has no prospect, no value? Or just a simple reply when you wish to avoid a question? No, it is a collection of all the memories you gather in your life, right from the moment you are born till the moment you die. It is the gist of all those memories you are able to recall when you are alone. It is the feeling of happiness and sadness you gather from those memories. And when someone catches you smiling or crying for no reason thanks to those memories, all you can reply to their question is..."Nothing"

That's what my life was...a big nothing.

I didn't have any happy memories. Or maybe they were happy but now failed to make me happy. I didn't have any sad memories either. Sadness only pulled me into depression which in turn affected my abilities and therefore I never allowed myself to feel sad. I didn't have any angry memories. Because I had the habit of leaving everything behind when I left a place. Name, address, thoughts...everything, that eventually faded into nothingness.

What I always carried with me were the lessons.

Lessons of survival, like how to save yourself from getting raped when a 13 year old girl is getting molested right in front of you and her eyes are begging you for help. She can't scream. Because she is gagged. And the drunk guys who are raping her are leaving blood bites all over her body. You are there in front of her, you are her last hope. But you can't do anything. Not because you don't want to, but because you can't. Or maybe you can, but you don't want to. Because you don't want yourself to be in her place. In that moment, you become selfish. You watch her cry buckets of tears. You listen to her relentless muffled screams. Your eyes take in every possible struggle she does to save herself. And, you watch her die as she loses the battle eventually. Her eyes don't call out to you for help anymore. The last emotion you see in them is accusation, because you didn't help her. That accusation too turns into nothingness as she takes her last breath. It fades with her. But does it fade from your mind?

No.

It comes back to haunt you in your nightmares. It reminds you that you are alive because you let someone else die in your place. Why did that person die?

Because you kept silent.

Lesson number 1 for survival when you're outnumbered and don't see any help around yourself. Let the bad guys do their job. If you let them, then there is a remote possibility that they may spare you. Remote, but possible. So, keep silent. Because in such situations...

Silence is golden.

How do you save yourself when your carefully made plan with a new partner goes horribly wrong? Simple, betray him. Hand him over to the cops. It doesn't matter that he is a 14 years old kid who has just started learning the ropes of stealing. It doesn't matter that he is doing it only because his father is dead, his mother is suffering from leukemia and his sister is being taken away to a foster home. It doesn't matter that he is doing it only so that he can get the money to buy a second hand medicine for his mother and give her the false hope that she may live. No, none of it matters. What matters is that you don't get caught. Your life matters above everything. So in case it's your life that is being endangered, don't hesitate and just betray your partner.

Don't mind if he looks at you with betrayed eyes. Don't mind if you see him crying and struggling against the cops. Don't pay attention when he screams that he needs to go home and give medicines to his mother so that she can survive to watch another sunrise. And, don't let it affect you at all when the most impatient cop loses his cool and shoots the boy dead, right in the centre of his forehead. Don't run away as the cops hide the evidence that they made a blunder. Don't look when they throw the boy's dead body into the nearby trash. But most importantly, don't even think twice before approaching the dead boy and take away all the money he expertly managed to hide from everybody after the cops have left.

Lesson number 2...be selfish, and always keep a backup plan ready.

All these lessons had kept me going for so many years. Be it any place, any situation, any person, I had always managed to save myself due to them. But today, none of these lessons were enough to make me escape from here. Why? Because I had forgotten the most important lesson, the subset of my motto of 'never ever get attached to anyone', the ultimate key to survival.

'Never let anybody affect you so much that it makes your brain stop thinking.'

I had never intended Edward to affect me so much, yet somehow I had let it happen. Perhaps it was because of his ability to get past all the walls, like Alice had warned me. Or maybe because this time, I had wanted to give some meaning to my nothing. Maybe I had wanted to have a real memory this time. Something that made me feel something, anything. Maybe happy, because I had felt his touch. Or sad, because we could never be together, because he couldn't be mine, because I couldn't be his. Or even angry, due to his obnoxious infuriating ways that always got on my nerves.

I had wanted to leave with something else apart from only lessons this time. But now that Jeff had said that we would have to leave Durango, it seemed that I wouldn't be leaving with any memory but perhaps the biggest lesson of my life.

 **Never ever forget to follow the rules of your previous lessons.**

Edward had taught me the heart of all the lessons.

Mrs. Fisher must have understood that I wasn't going to eat anything and it would be useless to butt heads with me. So she quietly got up and turned to leave. Thankfully she didn't turn the lever. At least I could sit. It was better than lying down all the time. But I had to tell her just one more thing.

"Mrs. Fisher" I called when she reached the doorway. She turned to look at me. Her eyes had a hopeful look that maybe I had changed my mind. Too bad I hadn't.

"Tell your asshole boss to set me free if he doesn't want me to spoil the bed where he has all his sluts. I really need to use the washroom"

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hey guys, surprised by the early update right? Well, it is my way of making up to you all for updating irregularly. I thought this chapter would do the job as it gives a small insight of how Bella is. She has been through so much shit that it has made her worse than an emotional mess. I'm glad that you all are liking my story. To be honest with you, when I started writing it, I was overexcited but slowly as I faced one problem after other, I lost interest and thought you had too. But then I went through your reviews and it gave me the motivation to continue writing it with one of you actually threatening to kick my ass if I didn't update...:D

Ha ha, I didn't mind it at all. I think I kinda deserved it. It gave me the necessary boost to continue writing and now I can promise you that I will definitely finish the story. However, I need some help from you all.

Like I had asked at the end of Chapter 17, I really need to know what you think of Bella and Edward. And by think I don't mean that you say it's nice to see a different version of them or that I have written them nicely. What I mean is that I need to know that till now what have you concluded about their character so far. I need to know your version of my version, hope you are getting me. I need to know this so that I can understand if I have been able to make you understand what I understood from these characters when they came in my mind. Eh, confusing is it? In simple words, just tell me your opinion regarding them.

And if possible, tell me what you think of Alice, Jasper, Rosalie and Emmett too. I know that you barely know anything about Emmett and not much about Rosalie but those who are _really_ reading the story will understand what I mean...:-)

So this time I'm hoping for lots and lots of reviews before my next update. So if you want a _quicker_ update, do give me your feedback...;-)

Till then, happy reading. God bless!


	21. Author's Note

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hey friends,

I need to tell you something.

I'm sorry to inform but I'm zoning out for a few days. At times it happens that you need some time off from things in order to figure out stuff about yourself because it helps you in getting a clearer picture. And right now, I need that time off. Therefore, I won't be able to update any of my story before February.

I know that some of you wait eagerly for me to update and trust me, your love, support and motivation is what keeps me going. Even if it's a small 1 word comment 'nice' on any of my chapters, believe me, it means **a lot**.

I hope that those who read my stories like them and so I also hope that they understand my need to take a sabbatical. One thing that I can promise you all is that **I won't leave my story incomplete**. I put my heart and soul in every word that I write and therefore it would be an insult to my passion for writing if I leave it incomplete. So trust me on this, **I will complete the story and I will write even more.**

But right now, I can't. I will understand if you don't wish to wait that longer. So I won't hold anything against you if you stop reading my work. Those who follow me may stop following me because of this and really, I won't blame you for that. Because one thing is certain, I won't be able to update anything before February.

Though I really hope that you guys understand my situation and give me the time and space I need. It makes me happy to see that so many people are reading my work being kind enough to let me know what they think of it.

So, that's all. I will surely miss you guys and once again I repeat: **I won't be able to update before February and I won't leave my story incomplete.**

Rest, as they say, is up to you.

Thank you for all your love and support. See you soon. Till then, happy reading.

Goodbye, for now.

God bless...:-)


	22. Chapter 20

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

Hi guys,

First of all, a big big thank you to all those people who reached out to me and supported me. Your encouraging words, your promise to wait and your patience won me over completely. I had never thought I would be so lucky to get readers like you. So, THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! I can't tell you how much touched I am. The break was much needed and I feel a lot better than before so yes, now I'm back and as I had promised, I will finish the story. So here's the next chapter for you. Please leave your reviews to let me know what you think of it. Once again, thank you so much for your overwhelming support.

Stay blessed...:-)

 **CHAPTER 20**

ALICE

I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. Rosalie had _rejected_ Emmett. She had rejected her mate.

"Why?" I could only whisper.

She looked away as she stood up and went near the window. It was locked so we couldn't escape. I watched her stiff back as she held herself tightly and I knew that taking this decision must have hurt her terribly. It was physically very painful to be without your mate but to reject him or get rejected was an absolute torture.

"I don't wish to be a part of Edward's clan" she stated in a toneless voice. "I don't want anything to do with the Sunshine pack. I loathe every member of it and when I came to know that my m...Emmett is from this pack, I decided I didn't want anything to do with him either"

She still had her back towards me and I knew why. She didn't want me to see the pain she was going through. She was hurt but being the stubborn person she was, she was not going to show it to me.

"Is that the only reason?" I asked in a quiet voice. "You've always hated Edward and his pack members. Ever since they came to Durango, you've stayed away from them but you never told me the reason. What is it?"

"I told you..." she began but I had had enough.

"I want the truth" I stated firmly as I got up, went to her and turned her towards me forcefully. No more puzzles or unanswered questions. I was going nuts because I was keeping so many things from Bella. I hated keeping things from my friends. I couldn't even imagine the sufferings she had seen in her life and what was pissing me off even more was that I could do nothing to ease her pain. I had a jerk as a mate and my best friend had rejected her mate just because she hated their pack leader. And on top of that all of us had been abducted in this beast of Edward's home not having even a slightest idea how to get out of it. My mind refused to handle any more puzzles for now.

"I don't want to talk about it" she said and looked away.

"Why not?" I continued stubbornly. "You'll have to tell me"

"No I don't have to" she said angrily and freed her arm from mine. "The only reason we are stuck here is because of that loser Bella" she continued in a furious tone. "Hadn't she come in our life we wouldn't have been here"

"Don't blame her for something for which she isn't at fault. She is an equal victim in this mess, in fact more than us because she is the mate of that bull head Edward!" I shouted angrily. I was getting tired of Rosalie's ignorance towards my questions. I hadn't told this to Bella but the truth was that just like her, I didn't know much about Rosalie either even though we had been together from childhood. I only knew that she was an orphan and somebody had left her in a basket in front of her current adoptive parents who had decided to take care of her. Well, not really care since she had never received any love in that home. She had found her happiness with me and Emma when we had met in the forest while playing. We had been 6 at that time and though we hadn't exchanged any information except the names, we had gelled well right from the first moment and had been inseparable ever since.

But I hadn't discovered that Rosalie was adopted or the extent to which she was ill treated at home until I had turned 11. She had always hidden everything about her home life from me and Emma like why couldn't we ever go to her house for playing or for night stays. She had only said that her parents were too strict and wouldn't approve of such things so I and Emma had never pushed her. I had discovered that she wasn't getting any proper meals to eat by mistake when she had forgotten to take a book back from me and I had gone to her house for returning it without informing her. That was when I had heard the terrible row between her parents.

They had literally been after each other's neck. And the cause of their fight had been Rosalie. They had been yelling at each other about how they had made a big mistake by adopting her and she was a curse, a pain in their ass and were having all sorts of complains from her. I had been horrified when I had seen her father hitting her mercilessly with a rod when I had tried to sneak in from the window since I had been too afraid to ring the bell. He had been monstrous. That had explained the bruises she always tried to hide from everybody at school by giving poor excuses like she had slipped from the stairs or fallen from the trees etc. Also she used to say that she was very conscious about her figure because of which she always skipped lunch at school. That day I had come to know that she hadn't been getting any food to eat. It was a miracle that she had survived so far.

From that day onwards it had become my and Emma's responsibility to bring extra food for her. We had tried to convince her to sleep at our homes but she had refused and we hadn't forced her since her father hadn't been ready for it. And if we would have gone against his wishes then the disastrous consequences would have been borne by Rosalie. She had tried to push me and Emma away from her when she had come to know that we had discovered her truth but Emma had been adamant about not letting her go and so had been I. After countless fights and arguments Rosalie had finally relented and we had stuck with each other through thick and thin.

Everything had been going on fine until Edward had arrived with his family and had taken admission in our school when we had turned 13. From the moment she had seen them, Rosalie's behavior had changed. She had hated their very existence and had always ensured that our paths never crossed with them. She had never told me the reason though. But today I was determined to find out.

"Emmett is different from Jasper" I said angrily. "He protected you even after you rejected him. Why do you hate the Sunshine pack? What have they done to you? And why do you hate Bella?" I was on a roll and there was no stopping me. "Rosalie for once can you please keep this devil-may-care attitude aside? I'm sick and tired of seeing you hide your true feelings from me every bloody time! We are best friends for god's sake! I've rarely hidden anything from you and have never pushed you to tell me anything but this is the limit! I'm done, do you get it?" I had started shouting but I didn't care. "I'm done with all this. Now it's up to you. Either you answer my questions today or we can call our friendship off" That was way too harsh but I couldn't stop myself from saying it. I was so bloody zonked because of so many mysteries.

"Call our friendship off?" Rosalie looked at me acidly. "Of course, why would you need me now that you've got Bella?"

"It's nothing like that and you know this very well" I was ready to pull my hair in frustration. "You asked me to stay away from her the moment I told you about her and though I asked you why, you didn't tell me. But you changed your mind after meeting her and thought that it may not be bad to have her with us but you continued to hate her nonetheless. And now you're blaming her for everything. Why?"

" Because she is Edward's mate!" she screamed in my face. I watched in disbelief as all of a sudden her eyes filled with tears. "And I love Edward"

BELLA

I was staring at the ceiling when suddenly the door of my room burst open. I knew it was Edward since nobody else would open the door in such a noisy way. I didn't bother to look in his direction but the next moment I found myself freed from the chains in a jiffy and swept off the bed in a pair of arms. I gasped as I cursed him mentally. I still wasn't used to his sudden appearances.

"What is it now?" I snarled while looking at him. I didn't bother to struggle though. That would only make him tie me to the chains again and I didn't want that.

He seemed to have recovered his good mood because he gave that signature devilish smirk of his as he brought his face close to mine. "Didn't you wish to use the bathroom?" he whispered while softly blowing air all over my face.

I looked away. "I can walk" was all I responded.

"Oh no princess" he mocked as he began to walk towards the washroom. "Let me do the honors" He brought me inside the ginormous washroom and settled me on the Jacuzzi. Then he stood in front of me.

"What?" I looked at him.

"What?" he said innocently. "I brought you to the washroom"

"So?"

"So do whatever you want to do" he said in a casual tone. I balled my fists in anger. Why was he acting dumb? With which new side of his was he trying to confuse me now?

"Edward..." I began but couldn't complete my sentence as I found myself against his chest with him running his hands all over my back soothingly.

"Do you know what it does to me to hear my name from your mouth?" his lips hovered above my right ear and I squirmed at the delicious sensation. "Especially when you aren't cursing me" he added with a soft chuckle. I almost smiled at this but then remembered the way he had treated me and was still treating me by keeping me a prisoner here. There flew my confusion out of the window!

"You deserve much worse" I stated icily and as expected, that straightened him up.

He held my upper arms in a death tight grip and pulled me up without caring about his height. I tried to maintain my balance but he didn't care and pulled me closer. As a result I found myself standing on his toes with my face towards his with our lips inches apart. His stormy eyes were throwing daggers at me. And just like always, I had pissed him off again.

"I deserve the best" he barked in my face. I tried to move back because his deep loud voice threatened to explore my ear drums but he didn't let me budge even an inch.

"Well, I'm certainly not the best for you. The why have you brought me here?" I shouted back in his face.

His already painful grip tightened more and I winced. I wasn't sure if I would be able to move my arms for at least a week. "You don't know what are you talking about. So just shut up! Don't you ever dare to say that you aren't the best for me, got it?" he yelled back.

He didn't want me to say that I wasn't the best for him? I was more confused than ever. Before I could ask or say anything, he bent and began to nuzzle in the crook of my neck. I bit back a moan as his lips trailed all over my neck playing havoc with my senses while he let go of my arms and encircled my waist pressing my body tightly to his. I moved my arms up and held his shoulders for support as he placed one warm kiss after another on my neck. It was heavenly. Forgetting my surroundings and my anger towards Edward, I fisted my hands in his hair and slowly pulled it back to kiss his throat. His delicious smell of pine was as usual mouth watering. I wanted to eat him up. I could hear his moans and feel his hands knotting the skin at the small of my back as I continued to kiss his neck then moved up to his chin. I attacked his jaw line and gave him a harsh bite on it. He gasped but didn't stop me. I took t as a signal to continue and began to give him hickeys all over his neck. His skin was warm and tasty. I could keep sucking it forever.

Edward placed his hands on my hamstrings and pulled me up. Within a second I wrapped my legs tight around his hips. That gave me a better access to his face. I kissed him on his cheeks then moved to his alluring blue eyes. He moved in front and settled me against the wall. Holding me tight against it, he began to kiss my neck again and this time I couldn't hold back my moan.

"Bella" he whispered in a sultry tone and began to pull my shirt up while continuing kissing my neck.

This movement brought me out of Edward's la-la land in an instant. "NO!" I shrieked and pushed his hands away to stop him from my pulling my shirt up further. I couldn't let him see my hideous scars, I couldn't. I wouldn't be able to tolerate the disgusted look in his eyes when he would see how ugly my body was. He looked up and though his passion filled eyes made my heart go crazy I knew I couldn't let the things continue from there. The best way to put him off was by making him angry and I had become a pro in doing that.

"I didn't know you were such a horny bastard" I almost spat on his face. "You decided to have me to get rid of your sexual frustration just because there isn't anybody else right now? How pathetic is that" with that I gave him a violent push and landed on my feet.

I waited for him to get mad and start hurting me physically like he always did but to my surprise, he didn't. He merely watched me for a moment then looked at the hickeys I had given him on his shoulder. I blushed and looked away after seeing that it was bleeding. I had bitten him hard. His jaw line was covered with the same if not severe as the ones on his shoulder. He looked back at me again but I didn't have the courage to meet his eyes.

He stepped closer and I shut my eyes tightly as I again waited for him to start yelling or abuse me but I only felt him putting his hands on the wall at both the sides of my face and lean closer. I shuddered after feeling his warm breath on the side of my neck but didn't open my eyes. Right now he could do anything.

"You're the best for me" he whispered in my ear. I looked at him in shock. He smirked at the look on my face and lightly rubbed his nose against mine. "There are some spare clothes in the drawer. Take a shower and make yourself comfortable. I'm waiting outside" He cupped my cheek and kissed my forehead deeply. I trembled at the proximity of such a warm gesture and shut my eyes tightly to stop my tears from falling which had welled up in my eyes out of nowhere. Edward planted a trail of soft kisses from the corner of my eye to my jaw line and did the same on the other side as well. "I'm waiting" he whispered in my ear once again.

I didn't open my eyes till I heard the sound of the door getting closed and when I did, my legs gave away. I slid to the floor of the bathroom against the wall as I tried to control my thrashing heartbeat.

What was that? Why hadn't Edward got angry? Which new assault was he planning now? Had he discovered that I stood no chance against his soft approach? I could tolerate that Edward who was crazy, abusive, impulsive and monstrous. But I didn't stand a firm chance against this soft Edward who was being _nice_ to me. I had to find a way to get my guard up against this side as well. I couldn't let him find out the chinks in my armor otherwise he would destroy me completely. No matter what he said, I knew I wasn't the best for him. I don't know what had made him say that and I didn't want to know.

Jeff was right. We _had_ to get out of Durango. My reasons were completely different from his. His reasons might be safety or some other secrets which he had promised to tell me but mine was just one and it was the biggest of all.

Edward was making my dead heart come alive, and I couldn't let that happen. Because if that happened, it would lead to the biggest disaster.

I would fall in love with him.

And if I fell in love with him...

He would die.


	23. Chapter 21

**CHAPTER 21**

 **ROSALIE**

"W...what did you say?" Alice looked at me in shock and I looked away from her.

"Yes" I sighed tiredly as I fell face down on the bed. I was damn exhausted after my brawl with Emmett then Jasper and now this confrontation with Alice.

There was a tensed silence for several minutes as Alice tried to take in this piece of news. She was flabbergasted and it was understandable. She hadn't been expecting this.

"Since when?" she finally asked.

I turned to stare at the ceiling and folded my arms behind my head. "Since forever" I muttered. It was true. My forever had started ever since I had seen Edward.

Alice laid down beside me and together we stared at the beautiful patterns on the wall. She was still trying to process this shocking information.

"Why didn't you tell me?" she asked after ages.

"I didn't know it myself"

She looked at me sharply. "You didn't?"

"Not until the night Emma died" I confessed. I sensed her getting tensed at this but I avoided looking at her deliberately. I knew she was still messed up about Emma's death. I didn't want to trigger her memory so I distracted her with my next statement. "I remember the way Edward had been concerned about her" I continued.

Edward's arrogance had always attracted me. I had pretended in front of Alice and Emma that I hated his guts but the truth was that I had started falling for him the moment I had seen him beat the shit out of those guys who had tried to rape me. I had been thirteen at that time and Edward had shifted to Durango few days back. I had heard rumors about a bunch of fifteen year old guys who were infamously famous for being too handsome, captivatingly charming and complete assholes. His bad boy personality had pulled me towards him and I had stalked him day in and day out for several months. I had liked how he was always the efficient leader who took his role as the future Alpha seriously. He always kept his pack members in check and wasn't afraid to get into fights with the older members if they were wrong. He didn't give a damn about their strength and always gave his best shot in every fight. His fighting spirit, fairness towards everyone, loyalty towards his pack, overprotective attitude, astonishing leadership skills and that sly smirk on his face which hid how much serious he was about his position...everything had been a turn on and had made me fall more for him. I knew I was doing the most dreadful thing by falling in love with him but I hadn't been able to stop myself.

Once I had been returning from the coffee shop where I did a part time job as a waitress at midnight because of a demanding day at work. The way to my home was always dark and lonely since I lived near the woods but I had been used to it. Even if I didn't remain at home nobody was going to notice my absence anyway. But I had needed a place for shelter and in order to survive I had to pay my monthly dues to my bitchass adoptive parents. That was why I worked and gave my monthly paycheck to them so that they could buy more booze and leave me alone in peace. I vividly remember that I had been calculating the money I would be needing to afford the fees of my next semester and had been trying to think of ways to avoid giving my paycheck to my parents when out of nowhere a bunch of guys had arrived. They had been sober yet the moment they had seen me, they had attacked me. I had tried my best to save myself while they had tried to tear my clothes and had even succeeded to a certain extent when they had been pulled away from me. I had watched in amazement when I had realized that my savior had been none other than Edward. He had been only fifteen yet he had beat them mercilessly and had made them apologize to me at my feet. Giving me his coat to cover myself, he had even dropped me home without saying even a word to me. I had wanted to thank him, say something to him so that in return he could say something to me, but my voice had left me. He had stopped in front of the gate of my house and had gestured me to go in without caring to spare even a glance at me. And I, like an idiot, had gone.

Since that incident, I had fallen even more hopelessly in love with him. Except Alice and Emma, he was the one who had cared for me, even though it had been only a one off incident. What had mattered was he had been there for me. But he had ignored me completely in school the next day as if I didn't exist and that had driven me mad. I was hurt. But there was nothing I could do. Not having any other option, I had left everything on time hoping that either my feelings for him would die or he would notice me. Or something would happen that would trigger some sort of chemistry between us. But, nothing happened. Neither did my feelings for him die, nor did he pay any attention to me.

I had wanted to be his mate. Bloody hell I had even _prayed_ for this to the moon goddess. I had been an atheist because I had got the worst form of parents in the whole world which had made me curse the gods for every wrong thing in my life but for him, I had been ready to put that hatred for the gods aside and had prayed. I had been hopeful. I had never wanted anybody else. The time came for him to get his mate when Edward turned eighteen. I was hoping, praying, pleading and doing everything in my fucking power to be his mate. But it never turned out that way. He didn't declare me as his mate, because I wasn't.

I was shattered, but not completely because there was still hope. I started keeping more tabs on him than before. At times it happens that a werewolf doesn't get his mate until his mate turns eighteen. And Edward was the future Alpha of his pack, so with him the situation was a lot more complicated and serious. I was hoping that I may be able to recognize him as my mate when I turned eighteen. Until then I kept on praying that he didn't find anybody else. But the biggest shock came for me when I turned eighteen and realized that Edward wasn't my mate either.

Because I wasn't a werewolf.

It had been the end for me. I didn't know what to do, what to live for. I had done nothing but hope for a future with Edward. But realizing that it would never be possible, I went berserk with pain. Overtime, my feelings changed.

From pain to hurt.

From hurt to despair.

From despair to hopelessness.

From hopelessness to helplessness.

From helplessness to anger.

From anger to bloodlust.

And from bloodlust to finally, revenge.

I was going to take revenge from Edward for putting me through so much shit. Edward hated Bella, but he also couldn't stay away from her because she was his mate. If I couldn't be Edward's mate, then no one else couldn't be either. I was going to make him pay by separating Bella from him. And I was going to make him lose his respect in front of his pack.

How was I going to do this?

I was going to kill Bella, and I was going to bring the entire Sunshine pack down.


	24. Chapter 22

**CHAPTER 22**

 **I would like to dedicate this chapter to EJM87. She's a real sweetheart. Your reviews make me smile girl. Truly blessed to have a reader like you. This one is for you. I was planning to divide this part into 2-3 chapters but then I thought why not make you happy since you always make me happy. Thank you for your support. It means the world to me. God bless...:-)**

BELLA

I looked around as I wore my clothes after freshening up. The bathroom was designed with style as well as with intelligence. There was absolutely no way to escape. Darn.

So that's why Edward had been relaxed while leaving me here. He knew I won't be able to run away. Grrr, intelligent asshole. I had to get out of here. I know Jeff had asked me to wait but I had decided I couldn't. Edward was coming up with different ways of assaulting my senses and my defense mechanism wasn't strong enough to handle his...warm blows.

But how could I get out of this place? I had no idea how big this place was though I was sure that it was no less than a mansion going by the expensive ambience but that wouldn't help me in getting out. Edward was being sweet right now but I knew he was going to chain me to the bed again.

Just then there was a knock on my door. "Are you done princess?" Edward asked in his silky voice.

My insides churned. Princess? Like seriously? Was this term going to stick with me now? Duh. What a monster.

I looked around again and decided that I needed more time to inspect the bathroom. There would definitely be some way to get out of this place. Where there is a will there is a way right? My will was solely focused on getting the hell out of here hence I was definitely going to find a way.

"If you're looking for a way to escape then you are wasting your time" Edward's chuckle brought me out of my chain of thoughts. "I purposely kept you in this room Bella. I've come to know you better than before. Want to know how? Open the door and give me the opportunity to enlighten you"

Ugh! Is he ever going to stop mocking me? But, I smirked, because in his supercilious talks, Edward had told me the way to break free from the confinement of this place.

I knew what I had to do.

Huffing at my _temporary_ defeat, I opened the door and tried to ignore the zing in my heart when I found Edward casually leaning against the wardrobe. He too had freshened up. His hair was gelled up perfectly in that ever remarkable way of his which suited only him. Thankfully, he had decided to cover his chiseled upper body with a tight black t-shirt otherwise it would have become difficult for me to carry out my plan. I needed to concentrate.

"Done checking me out?" he grinned.

I scowled when I realized that I was indeed checking him out. "I've seen better" I said dryly and made way towards the bed without casting him another glance.

I guess I said the wrong words because suddenly I found myself on the bed with Edward above me and his furious eyes throwing fire in mine.

"Never ever say that again" he said through gritted teeth. I took a deep breath to remain sane but by doing that I actually made another mistake. My long inhale filled my nostrils and mouth with that typical intoxicating smell of pine that belonged to Edward. My mouth began to water instantly and I cursed myself mentally for making this mistake. Of course, Edward maybe behaving all sweet and nice but he couldn't tolerate if I uttered the name of anybody else. Had I been a normal girl I would have blushed at his arrogant possessiveness but I wasn't any normal girl. If I didn't get out of here and Durango, I was royally fucked.

I turned my face sideways to concentrate on breathing. It didn't help much since his smell was everywhere but I could at least form a coherent response. "Any plans to get off me?" I asked tonelessly.

I felt him smirking and tried to control my heartbeat at his sudden change of mood. His bipolar attitude was getting to me. But thanks to the pattern I had figured out earlier, I knew what I had to do.

"No" his reply was expected and hiding my smirk behind my smooth face, suddenly, I attacked him.

He was holding my arms lightly so I had freed them in a jiffy and without caring about the future consequences I landed a hard punch on his face with all my might. It was hard indeed, because I could feel my left hand nearly breaking in the process. Edward swore and taking this opportunity I pushed him aside. He really was an alert guy. He encircled my left wrist immediately to stop my flight and I winced as he held my nearly broken wrist tightly but right now I couldn't give up. In order to get out of here, I needed to execute my plan with perfection. I pulled him towards me. Painful tears came in my eyes when the pain in my wrist intensified as I tried to lift his heavy body off the bed but it was worth it because I succeeded.

Edward got up with the obvious intention of chaining me to the bed but I didn't give him the opportunity and slammed by body into his sideways with full force. He staggered back and that resulted him in leaving my hand. I flung myself on him again swinging my fists left and right trying to bruise that perfect face. He stepped aside avoiding my fists with ease but he wasn't prepared for the kick I sent his way. I managed to land in a few more blows before he predicted my next move and locked my hands behind me in his iron grasp.

In one swift motion, he pinned me to the nearby desk. I squirmed as I was bent at an awkward angle. My feet were barely touching the floor since Edward was handling half of my weight where as the other half was being borne by the desk.

"I can't tell if you're extremely stupid or incredibly brave" he breathed on my lips then gave me a harsh bite on the side of my neck. I winced due to the excruciating pain but then the very next moment it subsided and was replaced by a heavenly sensation. Blood roared in my veins and I closed my eyes dreamily. I wanted him, more than ever. Darn, what was my plan? Why couldn't I remember it?

"It's difficult to control myself when I see your sassy vulnerable side" Edward said in a gruff voice and thankfully moved me away from the desk. The relief from the pain was instant. He pulled me closer. I was standing on his toes and he planted a big, warm kiss on my cheek. Gosh! How the hell was my brain supposed to function like that? Angry Bella, remember the plan and the pattern. Make him angry.

Unable to think of a bitter insult at the moment since my mind was filled with his smell of pine, I tried to clear my head by pushing him away from me. Not that I succeeded since that made him lock his arms around my waist more firmly than before.

"Extremely stupid" he decided and ignored my scowl while he planted another warm kiss on my cheek. Of course after that I stopped scowling at once. His already tight arms wounded more tightly than before that I began to experience problems in breathing. Our bodies were literally pressed together. I was trying to arch my back to create some distance between us especially our faces but wasn't able to. Edward was too strong. He chuckled at my efforts and rubbed his nose against mine while he placed his hand on the small of my lower back, specifically over the area that had been hurting due to being pushed into the desk moments before. I gasped when I realized that it wasn't paining anymore. It was as if I had never been hurt in that place. Holy shit! How did he do that? What powers did he have? He had done this to me before when Jasper had hurt my arms. He had healed them by merely rubbing his hands on them.

"Don't make me hurt you Bella" he whispered in a voice that was soft but demanded attention.

Hurt me. Wham! My thoughts returned with a massive force and I remembered my plan with an expeditious speed. Damn Edward for shutting my always-on-high-alert-active-brain. The guy was dangerous with a capital D but then, I had already know that.

"I'm not making you hurt me" I said quietly. "I'm just proving you wrong"

My words did the trick and he moved slightly back to look in my eyes. We were still stuck together from top to toe but at least I could try to read his eyes and figure out if I was succeeding or not. But I couldn't make out anything. Like me, Edward too was a pro at hiding his thoughts. No wonder I was so attracted to this guy.

He smirked and a flicker of doubt rose in me. Was I going wrong? Had I misjudged him?

He removed one of his arms from my waist and tightened the hold with the other. Tracing my face softly with the tip of his finger, he stopped near my lips and then brushed them with his thumb. "The game of hide-and-seek" he murmured and my heart began to crash in my chest. He had caught a whiff of my plan. Shit! What was I going to do now?

"You underestimated me Bella" he chuckled and I was astonished to find that it was filled with genuine amusement. Holy crap why wasn't he getting angry? "You thought that by making me angry you will coerce me into releasing you by using your delectable lips and spitting yet smartly sarcastic tongue" he laughed again. No, no, no. Then he kept his hand at the back of my neck and pulled me closer. Our lips were less than an inch apart. Now even if he uttered a word, they would touch mine. "Bella" he whispered and his lips brushed against mine. My body went slack as it got drained of energy. Hadn't he been holding me I would have fallen at his feet. Edward scooped me in his arms and raced to the bed.

I didn't get the time to fathom anything when with a loud growl he pressed his lips furiously to mine. For a moment I was stunned. Then blood roared in my mind and I lost all my senses. His lips pressed hard against my mouth and with a loud moan I began to kiss him back. We kissed madly, furiously, passionately. He tasted every nook and corner of my mouth and I gave him access to everything without bothering to put up any defense this time. He deepened the kiss with an erotic mastery and growled with satisfaction at my moans. My senses were in a riot of pleasure as our tongues battled against each other but didn't let go of each other even for a moment. I poured everything in that kiss. The pain he had given me, the hurt he had inflicted upon me, the undeniable attraction I had for him which I tried to fight every moment, my turmoil of being with him and not being with him, the hatred I carried for him in my heart...everything. He rolled without breaking the kiss and this time I was above him. He ran his hands all over my back and every last barrier I had put up against him and the world fell away. I was bare, naked and didn't have anything to hide anymore.

It was me who pulled away first when I felt I couldn't go on without breathing anymore. I opened my eyes and saw him staring in me with an emotion so violent that it scared me to death yet aroused me to a level I didn't know existed within me. I had managed to inhale a mouthful of hair when he rolled again and without giving me any time to resist began to kiss me again. We kissed and kissed the life out of each other as I knotted my hands in his hair and tried to pull him as close as possible while he continued to smooch, suck and kiss the blood out of my lips. My mouth and my head were filled with his smell of pine and I was striving to eat up the very core of this smell, Edward.

His hands went to waist and he began to shift my top up as he continued to nip my lips but just like always, my ever present defense mechanism woke up with a hard bang which Edward had put to sleep with his drugging kisses. It was an absolute torture but somehow I tore my lips away from his.

But this time he didn't let me shout because he locked my wrists in his and brought them above my head.

"No Bella" he panted heavily while his blue eyes blackened with desire. "You can't deny what we have and I won't let you..."

His rant was interrupted by the sound of rough knocking on the door. For the first time in my life I thanked god as he saved me from the hellish torture that I still wasn't ready to face and that was Edward's disgust after seeing my body.

"Who is it?" he shouted angrily while still maintaining his steely grasp on my wrists.

"Dude we're in big trouble" it was Jasper.

"You take the lead" Edward yelled. He was still not ready to move away from me.

"I can't. It's her" Jasper said urgently.

Edward tensed at the mention of _her_ and I frowned. Who had come, and why was Jasper saying that they were in trouble? Whoever she was, it was enough to get Edward worried otherwise he wouldn't have been ready to leave me.

"I'm coming" he yelled angrily then looked at me. "This isn't over Bella, but then, you know that already" he said with his stormy eyes and gave me another mouth bruising kiss. Then all of a sudden it stopped and before I could get my reeling senses in control, I heard the door bang. He was gone.

I didn't have the energy to move even an inch. What had just happened had been completely out of proportion. I hadn't planned for this at all. I knew that my plan could backfire or fail but for that I had had various alternatives ready. When you've spent most of your life living on the streets, you know that every plan doesn't guarantee success. That's why you always need a back up. But I didn't have any plan, any back up against this now. Edward was going to be back and this time I knew that he won't stop. But the worst part was, I wouldn't want him to stop me either.

I shut my eyes and held my head tightly to prompt my brain to function when a sudden realization opened my eyes with a jerk. In the midst of our passionate encounter and his worry, Edward had forgotten to chain me to the bed.

I was free.

 **ALICE**

Life is one hell of an unpredictable bitch. It loves to strangle you with its bipolar mood swings. One moment it makes you feel that you are the king of the world and the very next instant it kicks you in your balls and leaves you lying in a puddle of shit.

My condition was currently of the latter.

I was still trying to adjust to Rosalie's confession. I had never thought in my wildest imagination that she would be harboring feelings for Edward that too since so long. And she had masked them so well, with utmost perfection. I and Emma had never had a clue.

Emma, I missed her so much. I wish she was here with me because I know she would have figured a way out of this mess. She had always been able to. Bella reminded me so much of her. She had the same fighting spirit and wasn't afraid to beat the crap out of the arrogant jerks who were currently keeping us captive here. I had to find Bella before Edward destroyed her completely. Bella didn't know this but I knew that she was on the verge of losing her sanity. There's only so much crap you can take and Bella had taken more than her share of it. But the problem was that I would have to do it alone because after knowing about Rosalie's feelings I couldn't ask for her help. She hated Bella. I couldn't blame her either because one has no control over love. It just happens and when it does, it makes you do crazy stuff. It was the first disease one could have.

I was still wondering what to say and how to get out of here when there was a knock on our door.

 **ROSALIE**

I sat up straight at the knock and looked at Alice who was looking back at me. Who was it and why was that person knocking? The door was locked from outside so that we couldn't escape and anybody could come by simply unlocking it.

"Stay here" I said to Alice and went to open the door.

I stood near it and tried to make out who it could be with the scent. When I realized who it was, I tensed but opened the door. Alice stood up from the bed when she saw who was it.

"Ms. Fisher" I murmured.

 **Phew! Now this was one long update. Trust me, I sat for more than 3 hours in a row to complete it. I hope I was able to do justice to this. I knew that many of you were waiting for the first kiss of Bella and Edward and I had thought of putting it off for some more time but then decided not to do so as I was feeling too generous today. So not only did I give you an early update but their first kiss as well Yay! Lol.:D**

 **Now it's YOUR turn to make me happy by leaving your reviews. I have worked very hard on this chapter and I know that I could have done a much better job but I was too impatient to improvise it since I really wanted to know your views. They motivate me a lot you know. I promise that I'll improve the level of the kisses of the evergreen couple in the upcoming chapters. ;-)**

 **But here's also a polite but firm message for all my readers. Key word POLITE, so please don't take it as blackmail. Now I'll post another chapter only when I'll get a proper feedback from you guys. Despite asking for it repetitively very few readers responded and though the reviews of those who posted motivated me, the silence of other readers also made me wonder if I was doing a good job.**

 **So please, pretty please, leave your reviews. More the reviews, quicker the update. Otherwise this time even I don't know when will I post the next update. Once again, this isn't blackmail! Just a request, even I wish to improve folks. Come on, if you can spare 15-20 minutes of your time in reading my chapter then I'm sure that you can spare another 5 minutes in telling me how it was. It may not mean much to you but it would mean a lot to me.**

 **Until then,**

 **Ciao.**

 **Stay blessed...:-)**


	25. Important!

**AUTHOR'S NOTE**

 **Yippee! So many awesome reviews! Maybe I should blackmail you guys more often *wink wink* Okay, but I have just got a few VERY IMPORTANT announcements to make. So please bear with me.**

 **1st, I don't intend to promote molestation or rape! I find these activities heinous and personally wish all those to go to hell who do this. Nobody has the right to harm anybody in any way! I can understand that some of you might have felt that Edward is abusing Bella and to an extent you are right. But, his abuse is more verbal and not in a harming her body sort of way. Yes, he hurts her physically but not in** _ **that**_ **way. He is crazy about her but at the same time he can't be with her. And Bella, she has spent a very, very long time in shutting herself away from people and any sort of physical contact cringes her but with Edward, it is their connection which gets her past all her inhibitions and she finds herself responding to him automatically. It is not only because of their chemistry or that mate pull but also because somewhere they both connect on an emotional level even though they haven't realized it yet. I know and I understand the definition of rape in which women are unable to stop themselves from responding and later feel that their body and their mind have betrayed them but I can assure you that it was never my intention to portray this in my story. See, this is why I ask you guys for reviews because that is how I come to know what you are deciphering from the characters as well as the plot. I'm glad that you put forward your feedback which gives me the opportunity to clarify everything. And if it's any relief, I can let you guys know that in the entire story Edward won't rape Bella. Yes, he is monstrous and at times can be a total ass but rape is something he would never do. So be assured of that. This story is dark but only to a certain extent. I won't increase its darkness to that level where even I find myself unable to read the story. Molestation is a reality but I'm not yet ready to deal with it and so, I won't write about it either.**

 **2nd, my work is purely ORIGINAL and there is NO PLAGIARISM in it. If anybody felt that I've copied something from somewhere, please let me know. I'll be happy to hunt your sorry ass down and give you a really nice kick...:D**

 **But on a serious note, I have worked very hard on this story and it is very close to me. The idea of this story came when I was in one of the lowest phases of my life. The darkness in me prompted me to write this to let it out. That is why every now and then I face problems in continuing this story since darkness doesn't reside in you forever. Light is always there waiting for you around the corner and all you need to do is reach it. And if you can't, no problem. Just be hopeful and the light will come to you. :-)**

 **In order to continue this story I really have to go in the depth and recall all those painful moments because come on, I'm human! I can't be sad all the time and for understanding the messed up mind of both Bella and Edward, I need to put myself out there and understand what they are going through, what they are saying to me and whether whatever they are saying to me is being presented properly to you guys or not. Trust me guys, I've written many stories but this story has been the most difficult for me to write so far. But at the same time, I LOVE this story because it came from within me and that is why, I plan to finish it.**

 **And the reason I posted this second point regarding plagiarism is because I publish this same story on some other website as well but the names of characters are different. Here, I portray this as a Twilight fanfic where as on that other site I portray it as some other fanfic. Why do I do this? Because I find several similarities in the male protagonists. The other site where I publish this story isn't anybody's concern but actually one of my readers from that site came across this story here and thought that I was copying it from here. It hurt but her reaction was understandable. And you guys can be assured that I'm not copying this story from that site either and if you guys have any doubt, you can let me know. I'll prove it to you that I'm not copying. But trust me, you won't like my way of proving. :D**

 **Frankly, I don't consider myself answerable to anyone especially when the work is mine but at the same time I value my readers a lot so I thought I should clear this. I hope that the one who thought I was copying would be assured after reading this that I'm not. :-)**

 **As for the update, I'll post the new chapter on Tuesday. It is in the need of MAJOR editing because honestly right now, it appears like total crap! So give me time and you'll get it soon. And of course, the unspoken message always remains, you leave your reviews and you get the story. :D**

 **Until then,**

 **Ciao**

 **Stay blessed**

 **:-)**


	26. Chapter 23

**I'm sorry guys, in my haste to publish the update I did a major goof up. In the last chapter, it isn't Ms. Fisher who comes to visit Alice and Rosalie. It's Ms. McKenzie, the owner of the library where Bella does a part time job. Also, Ms. Fisher is Mrs. She had just visited Bella to feed her but had left when Bella had refused to eat. Right now, they are talking to Ms. McKenzie. Thankfully I spotted this mistake before publishing the chapter otherwise later it would have confused your already too much confused mind. :D**

 **CHAPTER 23**

 **ROSALIE**

"Long time" Ms. McKenzie murmured as she took in my appearance. I was fine but looked slightly haggard with my fight with Emmett and Jasper.

"Is everything alright?" Alice asked worriedly as she stood beside me.

"That depends" Ms. McKenzie replied in a plain voice and gestured us to move aside so that she could come in. We did and she sat on the bed. "Shut the door"

I balled my fists in anger. I hated it when she gave orders like that but I remained quiet. Alice locked the door from inside. I met the gaze of Ms. McKeznie as she looked at me unflinchingly.

"How is it going for you?" she asked quietly.

"I don't see how is that any of your concern" I wish I could spit on her face but I controlled myself.

"Spitting on my face won't help. I'm worried about you"

Darn! I had forgotten that she could hear my thoughts even if I didn't want her to hear them.

"Save it. I don't need it" I snarled. I was really furious at the moment.

"Ms. McKenzie, what brings you here?" Alice came and stood beside me. She was clueless about the conversation taking place between me and Ms. McKenzie since had been talking through our mind.

"How are you Alice?" Ms. McKenzie asked instead of answering Alice's question. I hated it when she did that. Why couldn't the lady give a straight answer for fuck's sake?!

"I'm stuck. I want to get out of here" Alice replied in a frustrated voice. "Why have they kept us here?" she asked angrily.

"She doesn't know?" Ms. McKenzie raised her eyebrow. This question was for me but of course Alice didn't hear it since she had asked it through the mind link.

"Of course she doesn't know. You to trigger her memory?" I scowled at her.

"It can be done without that"

"Then you do it. I'm done messing around with the mind of my best friend" I stated decisively.

"Rosalie..."

"No!"

" Um, Ms. McKenzie?" Alice interrupted our mind conversation.

 **The highlighted portion refers to Alice's past.**

 **ALICE**

I couldn't help feeling that something was amiss between Rosalie and Ms. McKenzie. From the way they both were staring at each other it appeared as if they were talking in their minds. But this wasn't possible right? How could it be? Rosalie wasn't a werewolf so she couldn't do this mind talk.

But she wasn't a normal human either. She had a special power. A highly destructive power.

I frowned. Today I had discovered that there was more to Rosalie that met the eye. I could have never guessed her feelings because she had always hidden them so well. There were high chances that she had hidden a lot more from me. However, my question broke their staring contest and Ms. McKenzie looked at me where as Rosalie turned away with a huff. That only raised my suspicion. Why was she behaving like this?

"Where's Isabella?" Ms. McKenzie asked me.

"I don't know" I shrugged my shoulders. "I've been locked up in this room ever since I arrived here"

Ms. McKenzie paused, deep in thought. I waited for a few minutes but when she didn't say anything my impatience got the better of me.

"Why have they brought us here? For how long are they planning to keep us? When can we get out?"

"That's for Edward to know" she replied.

"Oh for god's sake" I screamed. "I'm going out of my mind here. Will anybody tell me anything?"

"Alice, you need to calm down..." she began but that was my last straw.

I picked up the nearby wooden chair and threw it hard against the wall. It collided with a massive force and broke into piece. "I SWEAR, IF ANYBODY ELSE ASKED ME TO CALM DOWN AGAIN EITHER I'LL KILL THAT PERSON OR COMMIT SUICIDE MYSELF!"

"Alice?" I felt Rosalie's hand on my shoulder. Suddenly, a sharp pain went through my head like a strong current and I gasped.

"Aah!" I cried as I held my head in my hands and fell on my knees. My vision clouded with blackness and I couldn't see anything.

"Alice" I could hear Rosalie calling my name but it seemed to be coming from far, like she was standing thousands and thousands of miles away.

I wanted to call her back and ask her to help me because I felt as if thousands of knives were being stabbed in my head at once. It was so painful that I was sure if it didn't stop in the next moment my brain would start bleeding internally. I opened my mouth to shout but no voice came out of my mouth. And suddenly, I was engulfed into darkness.

 **I was running. I knew she needed me. Ignoring the pain of thousands of scratches I had got from wild leaves and sharp branches of the dense tress in the forest, I was running as fast as I could. I had to be with her so that I could save her. She was in a terrible danger. I had to save her before** _ **they**_ **came. But where was she?**

 **"EMMA!" I cried. "Emma where are you?"**

 **Why, why did we play this stupid game? We weren't kids anymore who played such childish games of hide-and-seek. I cursed myself because playing this game had been my idea. If only I had kept my mouth shut.**

 **"Emma!" I called for her again.**

 **I didn't know where to look. Where was I going? Where could she be? But I didn't care. I was going to hunt the entire forest if I had to, to find her. I was tired but I didn't stop. I had to find her, I had to.**

 **"Emma" I called again when suddenly I felt myself being pulled roughly behind a tree. I turned sharply to see who had pulled me and was shocked and relieved to find that it was Emma.**

 **"Emma!" I wailed and hugged her tightly.**

 **"Ssshhh, it's alright. I'm here" she patted my back soothingly as I sobbed like a kid on her shoulder. We were of the same age but Emma had always taken care of me and Rosalie like a mother.**

 **"Where were you?" I looked at her. "I thought you were..."**

 **"I had to hide" she interrupted me. Then something dawned on her and she looked around. "Where is Rosalie?" she asked immediately.**

 **"We split up to look for you" I replied.**

 **"WHAT?" she cried. "Oh my god! Quick, we need to find Rosalie" she said and began to pull me along with her.**

 **"But w...why?" I panted as I ran along with her.**

 **"Because she is in danger" Emma replied as we continued to search for Rosalie.**

 **My blood froze in my veins. "Rosalie, is in danger?" I asked in a slow dreaded voice.**

 **Suddenly, Emma pushed me behind a tree and stood in front of me.**

 **"Emma I..." I tried to speak but she put her finger on my lips to shush me and looked around carefully. A thousand questions were running in my mind. What was happening? First Emma had been in danger and now Rosalie? Had they come for Rosalie as well? Was I in danger too? If we had to look for her then why had we stopped? Suddenly, Emma tensed and balled her fists. She closed her eyes and I saw her frowning. It looked as if she was in agony. Then all of a sudden she opened her eyes and looked at me. I watched the painful torment on her face as she struggled to make an internal decision.**

 **My heart was threatening to burst out of my chest. I couldn't help feeling that whatever Emma had decided, I wasn't going to like it at all.**

 **"Emma I..." but she shushed me again and gave me a sad smile. Her brown eyes were watery yet they were equally firm with a fierce determination. No, no, no. This wasn't going to be good at all.**

 **"Alice" she whispered as she placed her hands on my cheek. "You and Rosalie are the best friends I could ever have"**

 **No, no, no. Why was she saying this? Why did it appear like a goodbye?**

 **"Always remember, I love you and Rosalie. When you meet her, tell her that it never mattered to me what sort of life she led or who she is. I was and always will be proud of her, and you too. What always mattered to me was that I got the chance to be with you both and I couldn't have asked for anything better"**

 **NO! I tried to shake my head, shout, scream, cry, stop her...do something,** _ **anything**_ **but my voice had died in my throat and my body refused to move. I could only stare at the trees as Emma quickly gave me a small warm embrace. Why did I feel as if this would be the last time she was touching me? When she left me, she stepped back and I could only watch in frozen silence as she placed her hand on her heart.**

 **"It was an honor to protect you both. May the hunter and goddess be kind and shower you with tons of blessings. May they give you the courage which you always had in yourself though you never realized to meet the destiny that awaits you"**

 **NO EMMA! DON'T LEAVE ME! Tears were flowing nonstop from my eyes but for the life of me I couldn't utter a word and only watch.**

 **"The path won't be busy" she continued with a smile that was filled with pride for herself, for me and for Rosalie. "But then, that's a price a hero has to pay. Simplicity is for mediocre beings. Ultimately, the sole responsibility lies on the shoulders of a hero and that's what you and Rosalie are Alice. You both are heroes"**

 **No I wasn't. I wasn't any hero. I relied on Emma for everything. I was nothing. I needed her. I was always going to need her.**

 **"I was fortunate to be the chosen one. Now, it's your turn" with that, she stepped forward and placed her hand on my head in a gesture of blessing.**

 **And then, I blacked out.**

I woke up with a gasp. My entire body was hot and sweaty. I shook my head to gather my thoughts and as soon as my vision cleared I saw Ms. McKenzie and Rosalie leaning over me with their faces contorted with worry.

"Alice, are you okay?" Rosalie's voice was laced in worry but I didn't pay attention to her and instead glared at Ms. McKenzie.

" Who killed Emma?" I snarled at her. "And who the hell tampered with my memory?"

 **BELLA**

I swore I was going to murder Edward the moment he entered in the room. After he had left I had searched the entire room like crazy. There was absolutely no way to escape. There were small windows but I couldn't squeeze my way out of them. Plus, I didn't know at which floor was my prison situated so I couldn't risk jumping out of those windows either.

I had turned the entire bathroom upside down. Starting from cracks in the walls and finding there weren't any to examining each and every floorboard and no, none of them was loose, I had done everything. Everything was smooth and perfect. I was locked in a beautiful prison which was ready to provide me with everything except freedom.

But I was determined to get out. The kiss I had shared with Edward was the first and last. I wasn't going to let him or my hormones overpower me again.

On top of that, my cranky mood wasn't helping either. I was tired, famished and thirsty. Tired because of Edward and famished and thirsty because I hadn't eaten anything after lunch. I still didn't regret rejecting the food Mrs. Fisher had brought for me though.

But there was something else which was bothering me. Due to my street life, I had the habit and stamina to go without food and water for days. Even after I and Jeff had started earning enough to afford our three meals, I had still not left the practice. One never knew when life took a three sixty degree turn that's why I always believed in keeping myself prepared. Then, why wasn't I able to control my hunger now? I was feeling so hungry that I was sure I could eat a horse. What was happening to me?

And my throat, my throat was on fire. The more I thought, the more it burnt. I tried to block this thought but my mind refused to cooperate with me. My throat was so dry that suddenly I felt myself pining for water like never before. Even a drop would do.

I coughed as I sat on the bed. I couldn't think. I needed water. Water. Water. Ugh! Jeff, where are you?

I closed my eyes and tried to form a mind link with him though I had no idea how it was done.

"Jeff!" I yelled as I tried to concentrate hard on him. "Can you hear me?"

No response, but of course.

I opened my eyes. The burning in my throat had increased tenfold and it was spreading all over my body. My hands, my legs, my head, everything was burning. The speed at which my body was heating up was uncontrollable. I needed water or I was sure I would combust. Not having any other choice, I decided to drink the water of the bathroom. Edward wasn't here and I couldn't ask anybody for help. And even if they offered water to me I wasn't going to drink it anyway. The lessons I had ingrained in my mind all these years wouldn't allow me to do that.

I rushed to the bathroom and opened the tap of the basin. As soon as the cool running water touched my fingers, I felt an instant relief in my hand. I quickly washed my face. But as soon as I closed the tap to breathe, the burning began again. I went in the Jacuzzi and switched on the shower. The cool water sprinkled on me like rain drops and once again I felt my body responding in relief.

I bent to drink it when suddenly, I remembered something.

 **"Water is everywhere Bella"** Jeff's voice echoed in my head **"you just need to find it"**

I looked at the water. I had never understood what had Jeff meant whenever he had said that. But I had never questioned him because I had known he wouldn't answer me. That's why I hadn't paid much attention to it either. But today, I was in desperate need for water. Had Jeff meant that I could find water in desperate times if I really wished to? It was everywhere, all I needed was to find it. It was there right in front of me. How could I use it?

 **"Nasty little thing aren't you?" that disgustingly thick voice echoed in my ears. "You always managed to slip through my fingers like water"**

Slip like water, slip like water.

Whatever I was thinking, was it possible?

 **"You don't belong here! You are different!" her sharp voice reminded me I was a freak.**

I switched off the shower and ignored the burning which resumed almost immediately. I stood in front of the mirror and looked at my reflection.

 **"Water is everywhere Bella, you just need to find it"**

 **"Nasty little thing aren't you? You always managed to slip through my fingers like water"**

 **"You don't belong here! You are different!"**

I looked at my hands. They weren't wet anymore. I looked at my reflection again. I was almost dry. Nobody could say that seconds before I had taken a shower. Slowly, I turned the tap and watched the water flowing out from it.

Could I do this? Was I even thinking straight?

 **"You don't belong here! You are different!"**

Time to discover the advantages of being a freak.

 **SURRRPPPPRRRRIIIIISSSSSEEEEE! Mwahaha! You weren't expecting this right? Well, today I read some really sweet and positive reviews and since nowadays generosity has become my middle name :p, I thought why not surprise you again? :D**

 **So here's another long chapter for you. I tried to keep this one as light as possible since I thought we all needed a break from darkness. I'm sure this chapter would have answered some of your previous questions only to raise a million more :D**

 **Oh yes baby, I like it that way!**

 **Now, be good to me and tell me what you think of it and remember, I get the reviews, you get the story.**

 **Let's hold our hands and walk this 2 way street together lovelies!**

 **Until then,**

 **Ciao!**


	27. Chapter 24

**CHAPTER 24**

 **ROSALIE**

"Alice listen" I tried to say in my best reasonable voice but she didn't pay any attention to me and stormed over to Ms. McKenzie.

"Tell me" she commanded.

"Are you going to do this or me?" Ms. McKenzie asked me through the mind link.

"Nobody is going to do anything!" I shouted ferociously in my mind. "I swear, you mess up her mind and I'll dig your grave right here"

"She isn't ready for the truth yet" she continued in the same calm voice while Alice continued to glare at her with her hands balled into fists.

"You've been saying this ever since Emma died. I'm tired of listening to the same rant for fuck's sake. Give me a break and give Alice a break too. She deserves it!" I wish I could shout it all out but I had to keep this to myself.

"Rosalie..." she began but I was done. I had let this madness carry on for too long.

"Alice" I called her. "I'll answer your questions"

She turned towards me in surprise.

"You know?" she asked slowly.

"Rosalie don't do this" I blocked Ms. Mckenzie's voice from my mind. It had taken time for me to master this technique but now I knew it perfectly.

"Yes" I nodded at her.

"Why didn't you tell me before?" she asked in a hurt voice.

I wanted to bang my had against the wall and cry my heart out. The last thing I wanted to do was hurt my best friend but I had done it and after she came to know the truth, she'll start hating me but the worst part was that she'll be hurt more than ever.

"It was for your betterment" Ms. McKenzie replied in a quiet voice. So she had decided to support me.

"Are you sure about this Rosalie?" she asked me through the link. Crap! I had forgotten that if I didn't concentrate hard enough the block got removed. I needed consistent focus to prolong it. I had mastered the art of blocking but I needed more practice to become a pro at another aspect so that I didn't have to centralize all my attention on maintaining it in the midst of other things.

"Yeah" I replied with my mouth this time and blocked my mind against all the external voices once again.

"What?" asked Alice. "How could hiding about Emma's death be good for me? She was my best friend I need to know how I lost her" With each word her voice was getting louder. "I knew something wasn't right about this" She looked away as she held her head. "I was mourning her death for two months like a zombie and suddenly I was over it. It always felt fishy to me and I was planning to find it out eventually but I never thought that you would be a part of this Rosalie" She looked at me accusingly. "What have you been hiding from me?"

I took a deep breath and looked her straight in the eye.

"It was me who did this to you Alice" I replied in a voice that lacked of any expression. "I tampered with your memory and made you forget Emma's death"

"You?" she whispered. I felt like punching myself when Alice fell on the chair behind her. "You used your powers on me?" But I hardened my heart and nodded. She needed to know the truth.

There was a tensed silence for several minutes as she took in this news. Today was a day full of shocks for her. First my feelings for Edward and now the revelation of this secret which actually showed the betrayal of friendship. She was bound to feel hurt because I had broken the promise of the pact. The pact that I, Alice and Emma had made to each other long time back when we were barely preteens. The promise was that it was us against the world. When we had discovered, 'things' about each other, we had decided not to use them after a series of disastrous events. At least not until there was an emergency when it became a matter of life and death. But more than that, we had made a bigger promise and it was that we would never use our powers either _on_ each other or _against_ each other. And, I had broken both the rules albeit Alice had no idea about the first one and it didn't even matter. But I had broken the second rule which could put the friendship and bonding of our sisterhood at stake. I had used my power on her, something which I had promised never to do so.

"Why?" she finally asked.

I took another deep breath. It was still difficult to say those words no matter how much I shouted on Ms. McKenzie that I was over it.

" Because you witnessed Emma's death" I replied.

 **BELLA**

I panted as I sat on the washroom's floor. I had been trying to do I-don't-know-what but whatever it was it had surely exhausted me. I had been trying to...um, I don't know, _call the water or something._ I was trying to call it to help me and help me how? By coming up with a force vigorous enough to break this entire bathroom and set a way for me to run away. Freaky yeah? Well, I had been called a freak all my life and though I had accepted it long time back, I had never admitted it in front of the world or Jeff. However, today I had decided to embrace this title but it wasn't doing me any good. I was still stuck in Edward's mansion. If being a freak could get me my freedom, then I was happy to remain a freak for the rest of my life.

I know whatever I was thinking was insane as shit but, at the same time, it didn't feel...wrong. Maybe it was my intuition that was making me believe that whatever I was thinking was right, that I could actually do this. And my intuition had never been wrong. Yes I had never listened to it was an entirely different story but it was an undeniable fact that it had always showed me the right way. So today, I had decided to pay attention to it. Besides, I had the support of another freaky fact. I had spoken to Jeff in my mind and this was something that a normal person definitely couldn't do. And hadn't I been always far from normal? My life had been extraordinary right from the start. From being born in a well to do family to ending up on the streets, my riches to rags life was I dare say, like a blessing in disguise. Because there's no way I would have wanted to end up with my deranged mother after she killed my father for the reasons unknown to me and then getting brutally murdered myself by the bunch of masked men who had arrived moments later.

 **I sulked as I sat on the couch after throwing my glass of juice in anger. I couldn't believe I wasn't being allowed to go in the party. Why was mother refusing me? She had never interfered in my business before. She didn't care and neither did father. I had always done what I liked and had never been told a 'No' before. Then why today? I don't care! I was going to the party and nobody was going to stop me! I got up to go in my room. I was going to wear the white frock mother had bought for me last weekend and make everybody jealous once again. Nell, Amy and Gwen were going to burn with envy. I grinned because I knew I was going to make Shawn kiss me today, right in front of everyone. I was about to leave when the door opened with a bang and I screamed in a startled voice.**

 **"Bella!"** __ **I heard my father's voice and turned to look at him. He looked as if he had been through an accident. His shirt was torn from aside and there was a small light gash on his cheek. His hair looked completely out of place and his eyes were wild. I had never seen my father like this. He had always been prim and proper, the handsome architect of Boston. Scared, I stepped back.**

 **"Bella"** __ **he took in my scared look and said more gently this time. "Come to daddy"** __ **I shook my head at him. He raised his arms. "Please"** __ **he requested.**

 **Slowly, I walked towards him. I took baby steps because I was still very scared but father was calling me to him for the first time. I couldn't say no. I reached near him and he immediately engulfed me in his arms picking me up from my feet. Surprised, I held his shoulders as he inhaled the scent of my rose shampooed hair. I couldn't understand. What had happened? Why had papa called me to him today? Why was he hugging me?**

 **"I'm sorry"** __ **his voice cracked as he put me down and sat on his knees taking my little hands in his large ones. "I know"** __ **he said with tears in his eyes. "I know I've been a terrible father"** __ **he croaked. "I was never there to play with you, take care of you and love you when you needed me the most"**

 **"Papa?"** __ **I whispered as tears came in my eyes.**

 **"It feels so good to hear this word from you"** __ **he placed a deep kiss on my forehead. "I know I've done nothing to deserve this, and I lost my right to tell you that I love you the moment you were born. You don't deserve the punishment of the mistakes made by me and your mother. I'm sorry"** __ **He began to cry.**

 **"Papa"** __ **I said again and wiped his tears away with my hands. I don't know what he was saying and why he was saying it. But he was my father. I didn't want him to cry.**

 **Daddy took my hands in his once again and planted innumerable kisses on them. He held my hands near his heart and looked in my eyes. For the first time I noticed properly that the color of my father's eyes was golden. It was so vivid that they appeared as bright as the sun.**

 **"We made many mistakes"** __ **he wept. "We got careless. We shouldn't have done that. You...you shouldn't have been born"**

 **Tears came in my eyes. I was a mistake. My mother hadn't wanted to give birth to me. My father didn't want me.**

 **"No sweetheart"** __ **he said immediately and wiped my tears away. "Please don't cry. I didn't mean to make you cry. Don't misunderstand me. Baby"** __ **he took me in his arms again as I sobbed. "When you were born, everything fell into place"** __ **he whispered in a broken voice. "Our world was complete. It was beautiful but you made it perfect. We** __ **were happy like never before. But we also knew, that we had made a mistake, by giving birth to you"** __ **I tried to pull away but daddy didn't let me do that. "You're so small"** __ **he hid his face in the crook of my neck. "So innocent, so beautiful, my princess"** __ **I stopped struggling. Daddy had never called me his princess before. A small smile came on my face. I was his princess. He made me look at him. "Everything will change now but always remember one thing"** __ **he said seriously and placed his hands on my cheeks. "I and your mother love you very, very much. You were, are and always will be the perfect gift given to us by god. We loved you when you were born and will keep on doing so for eternity"**

 **I continued to look at daddy as he removed the chain from his neck which I had never noticed before. It was a silver chain that had a bright white bluish silver pendant in the shape of a drop. It glimmered like a star. I had never seen such a beautiful jewel before. Daddy kept the chain in my hand and closed my fist around it.**

 **"Can you keep a secret?"** __ **he asked. I nodded excitedly. Daddy's first secret. He smiled. "Don't ever show this to anyone. Okay?"** __ **I nodded again. "Do you promise?"** __

 **"I promise"** __ **I pinched my throat. He raised his eyebrows at me questioningly. I sighed. Holding the chain tightly in my hand, I made a cross on my heart. "Cross my heart"** __ **I whispered and then made a throat cutting gesture with my hand "and swear to die"**

 **Papa smiled and hugged me again. "I love you my princess, and I hope that someday, you forgive me"**

 **I don't know what was he talking about but I knew that since he was in a good mood, I could have my way.**

 **"Papa, there's a party at Megan's house today. Can I go?" I made my best baby face. "Please?"**

 **Daddy smiled and I frowned at the expression on his face. He looked as if he was seeing me for the last time, memorizing every feature, something which he had never done before.**

 **"Okay" he nodded "you can go. You are and always will be the most beautiful girl in the world, always remember that"**

 **"Thank you papa"** __ **I jumped happily and gave him a quick hug and a small kiss on his cheek. My first kiss to him ever. I turned to run to my room but turned and smiled at him. "Bye daddy"** __ **I waved at him.**

 **He waved back with a sad smile. I wanted to know why was he sad but that could wait. Right now I had to get ready, go to a party, meet Megan, make everybody jealous, kiss Shawn and have the time of my life. Then I will come back home and talk to daddy. We had all the time in the world.**

 **He loved me, I was his princess.**

 **I waved at him once again and sprinted to my room. I got ready and looked at myself. I looked so beautiful in the white frock mother had designed for me. Shawn was definitely going to kiss me today. But I had to show it to daddy once. I was his beautiful princess after all. I kept the chain in my small white clutch I ran out of my room in my silver glittering sandals.**

 **"Daddy!"** __ **I yelled. "How do I look?"**

 **I reached the living room and the shocking sight in front of me halted my steps. I watched in frozen silence as my mother stabbed my father in his stomach repeatedly with a piece of wood. He was howling in pain but she was merciless and unstoppable. His clothes were covered in blood and his face had gone white. I could only watch as he fell on the floor and lied down with his face towards me. His eyes met mine and even in the midst of that horrifying pain, he smiled.**

 **"Be...lla"** __ **he said and then, he disintegrated.**

I opened my eyes because I didn't want to recall what had followed after that. I looked around. Still very much in Edward's lair with no sign of Jeff. Great. But, me being me, I wasn't going to give up. Whatever it was that could help me in escaping from here, I had to try it. And keep trying until I succeeded. I got up and started the tap. Watching the water flow, I put my hand under it and felt it soothing the heat in my fingers.

"Come on" I muttered. "Help me"


	28. Chapter 25

**CHAPTER 25**

 **ALICE**

"Why?" I asked in a dead voice. "Why did you block those memories? So what if I witnessed Emma's..." I couldn't complete the sentence and looked away.

Rosalie sighed. She knew I was still finding it hard to believe that she had meddled with my memory. This was her specialty. She could manipulate the minds of people around her. Be it their emotions, thoughts, memories, she could mould them according to her will. She could make a fifty year old married man forget he had a wife for as long as she wanted and could convince an eight year old boy that he was a father. She could create the memories of those incidents which had never happened in reality. Basically, she was a mind controller. But on top of that, her most dangerous and at the same time most fascinating power was that she could read minds of anybody. She could discover the deepest secrets of a person and make him use them against himself if she wanted.

She had found out about this ability of hers accidentally when she had made her father hit himself hard with the rod he had been about to use on her. He had been high and as usual had been blaming her for all the miseries in his life. So, in order to let out his frustration he had decided to use Rosalie as a bait like he always did. I had been there at that time. By then, I and Emma knew Rosalie's secret about her abusive family so we always tried to safeguard Rosalie by being with her as much as possible especially when she was at home, because her parents didn't attack her in our presence as they used to be afraid that we would inform the cops. But that day, her father had been out of control and without giving a damn had tried to hit her. I could never forget that day.

 _ **"Rosalie"**_ **I whispered as I glanced at Frank nervously who was downing one glass after the other and cursing the world for all the problems it had given him. Gah! The fatso did not realize that** _ **he**_ **was the main problem. "Let's go to your room"**

 **"Can't"** __ **she whispered back. "Moira is there"**

 **I tried to hide my annoyance and cursed Rosalie's parents for the billionth time. How could they treat their daughter like this? The house always stank of alcohol and unwashed clothes, enough to make any healthy person sick and now, her witch of a mother had occupied her room too. Why didn't they leave her with a single personal space? I held myself back from suggesting for a night cap at my place. Before Rosalie, her so called parents would refuse. If she left, then would clean the house? Huh. As it is she worked her ass off to pay the dues to live in this hell hole. If only the foster homes were reliable enough. And now, her mother Moira had attacked her room too. I shuddered at the time now Rosalie would have to spend in cleaning all the vomiting and puking Moira would have done in her room. If only she let me help her.**

 **"YA!"** __ **suddenly Frank shouted at Rosalie. "GET ME THE BOTTLE!"**

 **I wanted to punch his ugly face. This man thrived on his daughter's money for all this shit and ordered her around like a slave. Was there anything he could do except drinking himself to death? Oh how I wish he did that!**

 **Rosalie cursed in an undertone. "It's over"** __ **she said.**

 **Shit no!**

 **"WHAT DID YA SAY?"** __ **Frank blasted loudly as he tried to stand up but failed to do so.**

 **I looked away in disgust as he coughed and spat some alcohol on his dirty white t-shirt. He didn't have the strength to stand straight but when it came to yelling on Rosalie he had all the energy in the world.**

 **Rosalie held my hand and pushed me behind herself. "Moira finished it"** __ **she said.**

 **"THAT BITCH!"** __ **he swore and got up holding the end of the table tightly. With his red face and eyes sunk in deep black circles, he looked awful. "HOW DARE YA GIVE MY SHARE TO HER?"**

 **"I didn't"** __ **Rosalie said and began to push me towards the door.**

 **"No"** __ **I resisted. "I'm not leaving you alone with this bastard"**

 **"WHAT DID YA SAY?"** __ **Frank screamed at me this time.**

 **"Nothing"** __ **Rosalie said immediately and glared at me. She could understand my anger but right now she was right. By talking back I was only making things more difficult for her. Okay, I would keep quiet but I was not leaving her.**

 **"Go"** __ **she muttered to me.**

 **"No"** __ **I said defiantly.**

 **"YOU THINK I CAN'T HEAR YA BITCHES?" Frank shouted and I flinched as he tried to jump towards us but ended up falling on the couch.**

 **"Let's leave"** __ **I tugged on Rosalie's arm.**

 **"If I leave he won't let me enter inside the house tonight"**

 **How I wanted to commit three murders at the moment. One, Frank. Two, Moira and three, Rosalie, for putting up with all this shit.** _ **Why didn't she ever listen to me and Emma?**_

 **"WHERE YA GOING?"** __ **Frank boomed.**

 **"Nowhere. I was just sending Alice away"** __ **Rosalie replied hastily and without caring about my protests and struggles, began to push me towards the door. I tried to stop her but despite all this she was stronger than me.**

 **"Rosalie no..."**

 **"Alice leave right now!"**

 **"But..."**

 **"YA AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE!"** __ **Frank yelled and finally managed to stand on his feet.**

 **I gulped in fear as sweat appeared on my forehead. I was scared. Very, very scared. Frank had severely damaged his diaphragm thanks to the unstoppable alcohol consumption since so many years. Despite being slurry, his voice only made him more menacing. I had no idea what this man could do. But I also knew that I was not leaving Rosalie. I had promised Emma that I won't no matter how bad the situation became.**

 **"YA THINK I WILL LET YA GO SO THAT YA CALL THE COPS?"**

 **"She won't call the cops I swear" Rosalie said and began to push me harder.**

 **But I had had enough. If Rosalie was determined to have her way, so was I. Gathering all my courage I looked at Frank. There went my promise of not to utter a word down the drain.**

 **"You bet I will" I snarled. "I will make sure that the cops beat the shit out of you and all the anti child abuse centres pile you up with enough charges to make you rot in prison for ages"**

 **"Alice no" Rosalie nearly begged but I had decided. She was not ready to help herself, and though my parents hadn't taught me much, they had taught me enough to know that offence was the best defense. Tolerating abusive treatment was never a solution.**

 **"I WILL KILL YA, YA BITCH!" And Frank picked up his famous black iron rod from the corner and charged towards us with full speed.**

 **"NO!" I and Rosalie screamed together and pushed each other at the same time to take the hit as a result of which both of us ended up falling in opposite directions. That brought me closer to Frank because I fell towards his side.**

 **"CAUGHT YA BITCH" he screamed jubilantly and pulled me up with my hair. The stench of alcohol only made my stomach rumble uncomfortably and I ended up emptying the contents of my digestive system near the door. "HOW DARE YA THROW UP ON ME? NOW WHO WILL CLEAN THIS SHIT? YAR FUCKER OF A FATHER?"**

 **Anymore shouting in my ears and I would turn deaf.**

 **"Leave her!" I felt a sharp tug on my arm and saw Rosalie trying to free me from Frank's death grip.**

 **Tears were rolling down my eyes as the pain intensified in my head when Frank held my hair more ruthlessly. He was going to rip off my head from my body any moment, that much mad he was.**

 **"YA WANNA DIE BITCH? NAY RIGHT? THEN STAY OUTTA THIS!" shouting, Frank gave Rosalie a hard shove and she fell hard on the floor.**

 **"No" I croaked.**

 **My struggles were useless. I was crying and trying to free my hair but that was only making Frank torture me even more.**

 **"I will give you all my money!" Rosalie wept as she got up and returned to free me again. Pain and anger were pulsating through my nerves. This was the first time I was seeing Rosalie cry and there was nothing to feel good about it because, Rosalie** _ **never**_ **cried. She was that hard of a nut to crack. But today this bastard had done that too.**

 **I suddenly remembered a trick Emma had taught me and cursed myself for not remembering it earlier. Hoping that I was able to execute it properly, I closed my eyes and tried hard to ignore the continuous jibes of pain. Then, with all my might, I elbowed hard in Frank's ribs.**

 **"AAAHHH!" I cringed my eyes at his high pitched shout but this agony was bearable since my hit had made Frank let go of my hair. Not wasting a moment, Rosalie pulled me towards her and I ended up in her arms.**

 **"I'm sorry" she sobbed. "I'm so sorry"**

 **"Don't you dare say sorry!" I shouted furiously and pushed Rosalie away. I turned to look at Frank who was rubbing the sore spot on his ribs and spat on his face. Bloody hypocrite! He couldn't take one small hit but when it came to hitting Rosalie he did not spare her for even a moment.**

 **Alcohol wasted your mind and body completely.**

 **"WHY DON'T YOU EVER LISTEN TO ME AND EMMA FOR GOD'S SAKE?" It was my turn to yell this time. "Why do you put up with this piece of shit?" I was shouting right in her face but I didn't care.**

 **"YA CALL ME WHAT BITCH?"**

 **"PIECE OF SHIT!" I spat at him again. "You are not worth being called even a poor excuse of a man. Let me tell you this clearly Frank Fox, Rose is not going to tolerate your abuses anymore. You lay a finger on her again, and I swear you will find yourself behind the bars"**

 **"BARS?" Frank laughed hard. "YA ARE THE ONE TO TALK ABOUT BARS? IF I GOT THERE, WHERE WILL YAR FATHER STAY?"**

 **I gritted my teeth. "What do you mean?"**

 **"YA HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YAR FATHER DOES, DO YA?" he laughed hard while I tried to calm my tensed nerves. He was just a lousy drunkard. I should not take his words seriously.**

 **"HE WON'T BE DO ANYTHING TO ME, EVEN IF I KILL YA. AND YA KNOW WHY?"**

 **Why was I so afraid of the answer?**

 **"CUZ YA ARE NOTHING!" he bellowed and I staggered back.**

 **What did he...**

 **"Alice leave" Rosalie nearly inserted her nails in my upper arms and pushed me aside. But I was too numb to react or listen. What did Frank mean by I was nothing?**

 **"YA AIN'T GOING ANYWHERE. I'M KILLING BOTH YA BITCHES RIGHT NOW!"**

 **That snapped me out of my confusion and I stared at the burly man in alarm. He was drunk and he was serious. He was going to do it.**

 **"NO!" Rosalie shouted and pushed me aside just the moment Frank tried to hit me with a rod.**

 **Unprepared, I fell aside and Rosalie took the blow on her right shoulder.**

 **"NOOOOOO!" I screamed the exact moment Rosalie wailed in pain. Forgetting my numbness and anger, I lunged for Frank. "YOU BASTARD!" I shouted but Frank was prepared. He dodged my attack easily and holding my arm twisted it painfully behind my back. I wailed as the muscles of my shoulder experienced the worst form of pain ever.**

 **"ENOUGH!" Rosalie stood up and for the first time I saw her seething in anger. She looked furious, pissed off as hell, like she would murder Frank right away. "YOU ASSHOLE! LEAVE ALICE AND USE THIS ROD TO HIT YOURSELF!" she yelled and came forward to save me from Frank.**

 **And, to my amazement, Frank left me that instant. Shocked, I looked at him while rubbing my injured arm. He looked...blank. Out of his senses. I felt Rosalie pulling me towards her from behind but I continued to stare at Frank as h raised his arm that was holding the rod and then...**

 _ **He hit himself hard with it!**_

 **"WHAT THE FUCK!" he wailed and dropped the rod to hold his right arm on which he had hit himself.**

 **I looked at Rosalie. She looked as shocked as me.**

 **"H...How did you do that?"**

 **"I don't know" she whispered, then she shouted. "I DON'T KNOW!"**

 **"But you..." I was interrupted by Frank's outburst.**

 **"WHAT DID YA DO TO ME?"**

 **Rosalie began stepping back holding her head and shivering vigorously.**

 **"No, no. I don't want to know it. I don't want to see it" she continued mumbling in a painful voice.**

 **"Rose" I reached for her but was pulled back harshly by Frank.**

 **"I WILL KILL YA FOR HURTING ME!"**

 **"ROSE!" I shouted. "HELP ME"**

 **"I can't, I can't" She was still shaking her head. "I can't do this"**

 **Frank held my throat and I started feeling dizzy as his stony fingers began to cut my air supply.**

 **"Rose" I croaked.**

 **"I can't, I can't" she was crying again.**

 **My vision was darkening as with each passing moment Frank's grip was getting tighter and tighter.**

 **"Rose" I made one last attempt to call her.**

 **"DIE BITCH!" Frank blustered in my ear.**

 **With a rapidly blurring vision, I saw Rosalie's head shoot up to look at me in confusion. As soon as she saw the condition I was in, she straightened up at once and all signs of pain and doubt vanished from her face.**

 **"Frank, leave Alice" she commanded in a loud voice and to my second shock of the day, Frank left me at once. Coughing, I staggered in front to breathe. I couldn't see anything as the lack of air had darkened my vision but I found myself being supported by Rosalie. I held her shoulders for support while still trying to catch my breath.**

 **"Frank" Rosalie said in a much calmer voice. "Go to your room and sleep"**

 **Slowly, I turned and saw Frank doing exactly that, moving towards his room like an obedient kid. Next moment, I heard the sound of soft shutting of the door. Flabbergasted, I looked back at Rosalie who was gazing at the door Frank had shut.**

 **"Did you just control frank?" I asked.**

And that was how I came to know about Rosalie's power. Honestly, even though it had saved us, it had freaked the hell out of us. None of us knew what to do.

But all said and done, Rosalie had promised that she would never use her power on me. Then why? No, Emma's death was not the only reason.

"Alice" Ms. McKenzie said in a gentle tone. Swamped, I turned towards her. "I will tell you why Rosalie did that" she said.

"No don't" Rosalie said immediately.

"She needs to know Rosalie, it had better be now" said Ms. McKenzie.

Rosalie glared at her but she met her gaze calmly and once again I couldn't help feeling that they were having some sort of mind talk. Was this a hidden facet of Rosalie's power? I knew she could influence anybody's mind but how was it related to the silence of Ms. McKenzie? Wait, did that mean Ms. McKenzie had the same power? I thought she was only a doctor of the Sunshine Pack. Well, whatever was going on between these two, ultimately Rosalie had to bow out. I was more astonished than before. Since when had Rosalie started obeying anybody? She slumped on the bed and hid her face in her hands.

Ms. McKenzie looked at me quietly.

"Rosalie tampered with your memory because I told her to do so. You had left with us no choice"

My heartbeat quickened as my nerves filled with dread. It was the same feeling I had experienced when Frank had talked about my father.

"What did I do?" I whispered.

Don't tell me. Don't tell me.

Ms. McKenzie continued to look at me, like she was debating if she should tell me or not. But then she decided she should because after looking down for a moment when she looked at me again, there was absolutely no gentleness in her eyes.

"You went on a killing spree"

*In a meek voice"

Hi, remember me? I know, I know. I have crossed all the limits of being late and some of you must be feeling like murdering me. And honestly, I have no excuse for this delay so won't give one either except saying that for some time, writing took a back seat for me. School is demanding and well, so is life. But I missed writing so, er, here I am. Thank you to all those who are still sticking around. I'm not going to make any promises about when will I update, but I promise that I will definitely finish this story. I know it doesn't count but still, sorry guys. Please leave your reviews, that is if you feel like. :-)


	29. Chapter 26

**CHAPTER 26**

 **Thank you Oopsdaze, Momentum123, EJM87 and everybody else who posted their review and still remained with me even after my goof ups. You guys have no idea how good it felt to read your feedback. Love you all. Hope you like this chapter as well.**

 **BELLA**

"Come on, come on" I kept muttering as I _willed_ water to come up and crash the walls down.

It would be so good if it also destroyed the bedroom. It wouldn't make any difference to that jerk since he would simply get some other room to have his horny ways but at least I would gain some satisfaction in seeing a part of his castle or whatever getting destroyed. And water? I hoped it let me slide or rather flow along with it, freeing me from this beautiful prison Edward had locked me in.

I could feel a zinging sensation in my arms as I concentrated with all my might. My palms were in the basin, getting wet under the tap of running liquid trying to hold it and mould it according to my needs as I imagined water jumping up and increasing its flow. It was as if there was an intricate connection which my body was trying to make with water but a thick invisible barrier was blocking that connection. It was as if I could almost touch water, touch its essence, its soul, become one with it, listen to it and make it listen to me but, something was stopping it. Something that wanted me to be with it yet was pulling me away, pushing the soul of water away from me so that I couldn't grasp it. Something that did not want me to be with it because...because it was afraid of what would happen. Afraid that I won't be able to handle it. Something that was provoking me to search for some other way to escape rather than this despite knowing that there was no other way.

And that something, was my brain.

Yes, it was afraid. _I was afraid._ I was afraid of what would happen if I wasn't able to handle it. I was afraid that the element which I was trying to call to come for my aid, what if it went out of control and ended up destroying me? I wanted to touch water but at the same time I was afraid of drowning in it.

And I was afraid because, I was afraid of dying.

Well, that was a first.

Waiting for death was my biggest solace. It gave me a purpose to carry on, because I was hopeful that someday my grave would find me and take me in its embrace. It would free me by locking my maimed body only to let it go after sometime and liberate my blackened soul to rot in hell. I used to believe I was heartless while learning the tricks of the trade to durability. I had got betrayed so I had betrayed back. I had been shown kindness in the form of pennies and morsels and I had repaid it by stealing the entire wallet from the same person and spoiling his food. I had thrown stones at stray dogs just to see them jump in pain because it had given me an immense satisfaction to see somebody else getting hurt along with me even if it was just an animal. I had taken pleasure in killing insects under my feet wishing they thanked me for freeing them from the prison of life.

Being heartless was actually a good feeling, because one felt nothing at all. What an ironical contradiction, but so beautiful, so meaningful, so needy. So much bloody required.

Everything had been going fine until Jeff had happened. I had met him, we had shared the thrown leftovers and, we were together. I frowned. Something was amiss. Why had I started trusting Jeff?

I didn't remember.

But whatever maybe the reason, being with him had made me realize that I wasn't heartless otherwise no way I would have sworn to protect him with my life by keeping him first, before me in everything I did and worked for. I was just an empty person who had happened to have a small malfunction in her chest which was making me stay with Jeff otherwise I would have left him long back.

And that malfunction was being dead hearted, but nonetheless having a heart. I always found the sound of heartbeat disgusting, because it reminded me of life, a gross reminder that I was still alive and suffering. Each beat mocked me, taunted me and reminded me that my wait was still not over, that I was still very much breathing, doing nothing but pushing me to the brink of insanity.

Heart and its emotions were just...ugh!

And now, when I had thought that I had found a way to not only escape from this prison but also put my forever wait to an end, I was getting afraid? Why? Because of Edward? Because I didn't want him, without me? Because I wanted to, be with him? Because, I didn't want him to...find somebody else after me? I opened my eyes with a deep sigh as my concentration broke.

And there happened another first time. I spoke to my heart knowing there wouldn't be an reply since it was dead yet I asked. "What is wrong with you, you shit?"

Of course there was no response. Well, thanks for proving me right there mister. With the amount of betrayals my heart was throwing at me, it was comforting to see that it was still with me in one venture. Well, it was dead right. Then why did I have to be afraid of death? I should and I would call the power, use it to escape and if possible, allow it to kill me too.

Freedom, the most delicious dish of all. I definitely deserved to taste it before being declared as the number one sinner in the hell of Hades.

So mustering all my concentration, I began to focus again and felt the familiar zing in my arms. Focus, focus. Get it done. Come to me. Help me. I will...

However, the sharp knock on the door murdered it right away.

"Bella?"


	30. Chapter 27

**CHAPTER 27**

BELLA

"Bella?" The knock got harder. "Open the bloody door!"

Shit! Edward was back.

I tried to concentrate again but it was useless. My heart had started thundering the moment I had heard his voice and now it wouldn't let me pay attention. Okay, maybe now wasn't the moment to test my freaky theory, but that was not going to change my attitude.

Open the door. Yeah right. Shutting off the tap, I went and sat on the edge of the Jacuzzi. The burning returned with full vengeance but my hate-Edward thoughts proved to be a good distraction.

"BELLA WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN THERE?"

I grinned. It did not take more than five seconds for Edward to rile up.

"WILL YOU BLOODY RESPOND?"

Getting him pissed was fun.

"BELLA IF YOU DON'T OPEN THE DOOR I SWEAR I WILL BREAK IT!"

Feel free you jerk. My water theory did not work, for now. So Edward could do the honors. I wanted something or the other of this hellhole broken anyway. Might as well start with the door. And what better way than letting the jailer break his own jail. I smiled. I couldn't really be blamed. I was just doing my duty as a prisoner.

"ANSWER ME DAMMIT!"

Sealed my lips and tossed the key.

"I'M GIVING YOU ONE MINUTE"

I wish I had a watch because I knew that no way was Edward going to wait for that long. I swear I could hear his nostrils flaring as he seethed in anger. Covering my ears with my hands, I waited.

One.

Two.

WHAM!

I shut my eyes just as the door flew open, or rather flew broken and next moment, I found myself in Edward's arms. I could not hide my relief as the moment he touched the skin of my palms, the burning vanished.

Funny how the guy who was capable of giving me the worst possible wounds was my healer from all pains.

I waited for him to start yelling because though I couldn't see his face, the reality was that I didn't need to keep my eyes open to see him. Even with my eyes closed, his face would be crystal clear in my mind. Just like an imprint. And I knew he was angry with me for not listening to him.

I felt his warm breath all over my face and tensed. Had I done right by disobeying him? What would he do now? Was he going to kiss me? Crap! Why hadn't I thought of that? No, I couldn't let...

I felt his lips come on mine with gentlest of pressures and my thoughts reached a halt.

He kissed me softly for a moment. "Why didn't you open the door?" he asked.

I didn't open my eyes. I had forgotten that he was trying a new technique for which I hadn't been able to come up with a good defense till now. The technique of tenderness. The more he waited, the more restless I got. Was this the same guy who could not wait for even one minute for me to open the door? His lips came back to mine and I turned my face away. And, to my absolute astonishment, he did not forcefully bring my mouth back to his, like I had been expecting him to. Instead, he began to trail soft feathery kisses from my cheek to the side of my throat. As soon as his lips reached the crook of my neck, I shivered. I felt his lips curving against my skin and felt angry at myself for giving in so easily. I really wanted to fight. But apparently my power theory had taken its fees without delivering any result. I hadn't been able to escape but my energy reserves were too exhausted to put up a fight. Cheater mind and even a bigger cheater body.

I did not protest when he softly placed a hand on my cheek and brought my mouth back to his. I did not frown when he kissed me softly as a whisper and shyly, _I kissed him back._ I ignored his surprise at my response and let him have his way when he deepened the kiss. I did not stop him from hauling my body into intimate contact with his but did try to mask my relief when his arm snaked around my waist and the other hand caressed my whole back.

My hands were still dangling to my side despite kissing him back because I did not want to show complete surrender. Amidst all this, I could not forget that Edward had brought me here against my will and even though his arms gave me a glimpse of solace, I did not want to stay here. But I did not know when he would leave now and honestly, I was tired of fighting with him. So when he scooped me up in his arms and carried me to the bed, I did not stop him.

He did not let go of my lips even for a moment and I wanted to kick myself for feeling glad about it. Talk about double standards.

I finally granted my arms their wish and locked them around Edward's neck as he laid me gently on the bed. Our kisses were deep but slow, like we had all the time in the world. Maybe he had understood that this time I was not going to put up a fight, for as long as he did not go beyond kissing. If he tried anything else, I would claw the skin off his face because, I was not ready to do _that_ , not that I would ever be and second, no way in hell would I join the list of his bimbos on this cursed bed.

We paused for a moment when it became absolutely impossible to do without oxygen and I felt Edward pressing the weight of his body on mine. My blood began to dance in my veins as I caught another glimpse of...happiness. It was too alien but it felt, good. Almost like those last moments which I had spent with my father and he had told me for the first and last time that I was his princess and he loved me.

Edward rested his forehead against mine and I tasted the smell of pine on my lips. He had gone only for an hour and I had missed it so much already. Not a good sign. He was entering too much into my system and I somehow needed to stop him before he became an inseparable part of it.

I almost missed what he was saying.

"Bella, look at me"

Obeying was not my thing but at times, doing it did not feel bad so, I did what he asked. I opened my eyes and found his blue eyes battling with a violent storm. I recoiled when I saw the struggle he was facing to keep the passion in leash yet at the same time his consideration almost made me cry. He had understood that I was not ready and, _he was not going to force me. Really._

"I won't force you to do anything that you don't want to" he affirmed my realization. "I will give you anything you want except" he added quickly when I opened my mouth "your freedom. I can't give that" he shook his head and though there was no remorse in his eyes, I somehow knew he meant it.

Angry and hurt for reasons I didn't understand, I looked away. He waited patiently, giving me the time to compose myself.

"Why?" I finally asked when I had organized my thoughts enough to make a stupid conversation. But I did not look at him.

The silence that followed my question was unnerving. It was like Edward's answer would change, or rather set a course of things which would mess up my life even more. The only set course of my life was to run at the sign of trouble and with Mr. Troublemaker setting the rules himself, vanishing from the face of this planet would be the best option, only if he would let me do it.

When he did not answer my question, I looked at him and my heart nearly stopped beating when I saw him giving me a smile. It was not one of his usual arrogant smirks which managed to turn me on and piss me off at the same time. It was also not one of those challenging grins when he would be watching me carefully gauging my reactions in different situations.

It was a smile of...acceptance, like he had made a decision and he had decided to go ahead with it.

Why was I getting so afraid of it?

And his next words confirmed my fears.

"Because I can't stay away from you"

And just then I heard a voice.

"Bella I'm here"Jeff said urgently "in which room are you?"


	31. Chapter 28

**CHAPTER 28**

ROSALIE

It was done. The worst had happened. I had never wanted Alice to know this, or maybe I had been waiting for the right time. I wasn't sure, but it had happened anyway. When did life ever listen to me? I did not have the strength to take in Alice's expression so I forced myself to close my eyes and waited for her to start shouting or asking more questions. But when there wasn't any sound for five minutes, I risked opening my eyes and the sight in front of me nearly shattered me.

Alice was on her knees and was crying silently with her face hidden in her hands. Her ability to cry without making any sound had always amazed me but today, I cursed myself for not paying enough attention to her. She was in a weak state of mind and her emotions were unstable. At the moment whatever she heard was affecting her more than she normally would have allowed herself to feel, and after recalling one painful facet of the past which had told her that Emma had died to save us was only making her feel more guilty.

I had wished so many times to have a normal life and if not me then I had wished for my friends to have this luxury but now, I was just tired. All I wanted to do was sleep and never wake up. Not knowing how to comfort Alice after the way I had hurt her, I tentatively sat beside her on the floor and slowly kept a hand on her shoulder.

"Alice" I whispered and the next moment, I found my arms full of her with her wailing loudly on my shoulder.

Relieved to know that she was still relying on me for comfort and wrecked by the way she had broken down, I simply held her and let her cry, my own tears falling in her hair a moment later.

"I miss Emma so much" she wept. "I never thought I would lose her this way, that we would lose her this way"

She was right. Alice and Emma had always been there for me despite me trying to push them away so many times but once I had started having complete faith on them and had known that they would do anything for me, I had stopped cursing my life. I had what many people didn't and that was the unconditional love and support of the people who weren't related to me by blood and though I had been ready to die for them anytime, I had never wanted any of them to die for me.

But Emma had. She had died for me and Alice. She had died to save us.

"I'm so sorry" Alice sobbed hard.

"What?" Startled, I held Alice's face softly in my hands and made her look at me. "Why are you apologizing?"

"For getting mad at you" Alice placed her hands on mine and looked at me with guilt stricken eyes. "For a moment I became selfish. I have no right to cry when I don't even remember what had exactly happened. You made it easy for me, you made me forget everything to relieve me of my pain but you, you remember everything right? I had the blessing of forgetting but you didn't. I wasn't there for you when you needed a shoulder to cry. You never said a word about your feelings in front of me and always remained so strong. You were so watchful of every word, every expression whenever you were around me so that nothing triggers my memory. I promised to be there for you but I wasn't where as you were always there for me. I'm a horrible friend. I had promised Emma I'll take care of you but I failed. I'm so sorry Rosalie, I'm so so sorry!"

That did it! I hugged her hard and this time it was me who was crying loudly in her arms and Alice who was softly caressing my back whispering little but soothing words in my ears. I don't know what had I done to deserve a friend like her and I sure as hell had no idea how she could forgive me after what I had done but I did know that as long as I had Alice beside me I could face anything. Despite our harrowing revelations miraculously I still had my best friend and that was all that mattered. I didn't need anything else.

"I had told you to have faith" Ms. McKenzie's calm voice reverberated in my head and for the first time, I had to admit that the woman was right.

When Alice's state had gone out of control and Ms. McKenzie had come up with the solution to remove her memory, I had protested vehemently against it. But gradually when I hadn't seen any improvement in her condition I had had to agree that maybe it was the only way. Ms. McKenzie had offered to do it herself but I hadn't trusted her enough to do it right and so had volunteered to do it myself. I had weighed my options between temporary and permanent removal but had opted or the former because despite having this power I could not stop Alice's mind from doing what it wanted to and second because, I hadn't wanted her to forget Emma. I had been damn afraid that Alice would start hating once she recalled everything but Ms. McKenzie had told me to have faith. She had assured me that Alice would understand my point of view but I hadn't believed her. Still, for the first time, it didn't feel bad to be wrong. Alice had understood and she was with me.

Everything had been going on fine and I was sure that Alice wouldn't have regained her memory for a long, long time until Bella. Her arrival in Durango had set forth a chain of events in motion about which Ms. McKenzie had warned me long time back. That was why I had gone to Albania to take the necessary precautions but until now, I hadn't realized the intensity of those events.

"Are you ready to hear further now?" Ms. McKenzie asked quietly and I and Alice looked at her at the same time.

Another wave of relief rose in me when I saw that Ms. McKenzie was planning to tell everything to Alice herself and not ask me to do it. I didn't want to. Emma's mutilated body still haunted me and I didn't want to recall the horrendous way in which she had been killed by narrating those events to Alice.

Taking a deep breath, Alice stood up and holding my hand she made me get up too.

"Yes" she said in a calm voice and I was astounded to see how serene she looked yet at the same time I felt extremely proud of her. Out of the three of us, emotionally, Alice was the strongest and now, she had decided to face the reality. Feeling more energized than before, I gave her hand a warm squeeze.

Alice was fine. I was fine. Together, we could face any bloody circus of life.

"Okay" a small smile came on Ms. McKenzie's face and she sat on the bed gesturing us to sit on the chairs in front of her. "Before I start telling you about Emma's death, there is something you need to know about yourself Alice" she continued in her quiet tone. "And that is...you, are not a werewolf"

I heard a shout.

BELLA

"I should have accepted this sooner" Edward murmured against the skin of my neck and placed a long kiss there.

Was Edward indirectly admitting that he was wrong? I would have enjoyed his admission some other day but with my senses in a tizzy with having him so close almost all over my body and Jeff's voice continuously shouting in my head asking me in which fucking room I was I could not form a coherent response anywhere. Neither could I stop Edward from placing feather light kisses all over my face nor could I speak to Jeff because I was in no position to muster any concentration with the sweet smell of pine surrounding me.

Damn these boys! All of them had the worst timing ever.

"Bella" Jeff's voice was frantic now. "Why aren't you responding me? Can you hear me? Bella?"

"I can!" I blurted loudly and almost bit my lips in frustration. I wasn't supposed to speak out loud, I was supposed to think out loud.

Edward's face was up in a second. "What?" he asked.

I needed him to get off me!

"I, I need to go to the washroom" I said the first thing that came in my mind.

"But you were there a minute back" he protested.

My heart started beating erratically when I saw the genuine scowling on Edward's face. Like he really didn't to be away from me. So bad, it was so bad that out of all days he had chosen today to make me see the real him. But my freedom was above everything else. Even Edward. Time to turn nasty.

"Do your sluts need your permission to use the loo?" I asked sarcastically.

His eyes darkened at once and I did a mental cartwheel in my head. Edward might have started understanding my basic defense of being on offensive most of the time, but he hadn't developed the patience to bear it completely, yet. And I had to take complete advantage of this knowledge. So with all my might, I pushed him aside.

I had barely managed to get up an inch when I found myself being pressed down into the mattresses by his heavy body again.

"Don't you ever dare compare yourself with those girls again" he growled. "You are different"

I stopped struggling at once. The way he looked so mad showed that he meant it. I could see it in his eyes that he meant it. What was he...?

"Bella!" Jeff's scream nearly blasted my head off. "Where the fuck are you?"

With the guy who manages to set my body on fire but also happens to be the biggest asshole in the world. I wanted to shout this but Edward had dug his face in the crook of my neck and was kissing me incessantly.

"What?" I could feel Jeff watching us through my eyes and I nearly screamed in frustration because of that.

 **I did not want him to see me and Edward like this! It was our private moment!**

"What are you thinking Bella? Have you gone insane? Get him off you now!" Jeff shouted.

Now wasn't the time to question why was Jeff sounding so absolutely violent after seeing in my mind what I and Edward, basically Edward were doing.

"I'm trying" I shouted loudly.

"Bella, what's wrong? Are you alright?" Edward was worried now.

"Get off me!" I shouted and this time he did.

I felt as if my body would combust. It felt as if the burning had been waiting to return and it happened. Fire started at the tips of my toe nails and slowly, in an excruciatingly painful way, it started making its way up towards my heart.

"BELLA CALL WATER!" Jeff shouted.

"WATER!" I shouted.


	32. Chapter 29

**CHAPTER 29**

 **ALICE**

"Alice UP!" I had barely registered Bella's scream when I heard Rosalie shouting and next moment I found myself lying on the bed with Rosalie on one side and Ms. McKenzie on the other.

"It's time!" Rosalie screamed. Her hand came above my face with a gap of about three inches from it and Ms. McKenzie kept her hand in hers. Before I could ask what was going on, all of a sudden ... I found myself suffocating. There was no air around and I was dying to breath. I began to gasp. Where had all the air gone in one second?

"Alice just relax" Ms. McKenzie said in a soft voice. "It will pass. It's just a matter of few seconds"

My face was burning but it was negligent compared to the burning going in my lungs. I felt as if they were literally on fire. My body felt sapped of strength and my limbs felt so heavy that I was sure I won't be able to move them for the next million years or so. I began to cough. I needed air and I needed to get rid of the burning.

"A minute more Alice just a minute more" Rosalie's assuring tone kept me sane as I struggled to keep my eyes open. The voices around me were fading and I could feel hard and strong vibrations going on around me. I was not sure if it was my imagination or the bed was shaking but it did feel like that there was an earthquake.

"ANYTIME NOW!" Ms. McKenzie said loudly.

Yes, anytime now I was going to die. My body was giving up and my gasps were reducing. I could feel the numbness taking over my body as the heat on my face was increasing with each passing second.

"ALICE DON'T GIVE UP! PLEASE KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN" Rosalie shouted.

I wanted to say that I was trying but the truth was that it would be a lie. I was not strong enough, and I was giving up. I wanted to sleep though I knew that if I did then I will never be able to wake up again. And the questions in my mind will remain unanswered. Who was I? If not a werewolf, then what was I? What had I done that had made Rosalie wipe off my memory? And Jasper? Why did I feel the mate pull towards him if I wasn't of his species? What about our future? What...

"The intensity has triggered it!" I could faintly hear Ms. McKenzie's frantic voice.

"I just hope that she is strong enough to handle it" the voice was so low that I was almost sure I had missed it. Was it Rosalie's? Whom was she talking about? Was she talking me or Bella? It couldn't be Bella. She hated Bella. Then what...?

"ALICE OPEN YOUR EYES!" Ms. McKenzie's shrill voice made me open my eyes and with a blurry vision I looked at the white ceiling.

For a moment, everything stilled. It became silent like a graveyard.

And then, my eyes went wide. With a loud crack, I watched as the entire ceiling came crashing down on us.

 **BELLA**

"WATER!" I shouted.

"Bella" Edward was shaking me, none too gently. "What's wrong?"

I could not respond. Strange things were happening in my gut. I was shaking and it was not because of Edward. The movement was stronger internally than externally. My mind was jumbled up and I couldn't think. Something cold was spreading throughout my body, giving me relief from the heat but in turn making my teeth rattle. Something was rising within me. Something powerful. With a start, I realized what it was.

I had got what I wanted. I had got water. It was close. I needed it.

And it was coming to me.

I could practically see it flowing through the pipes. Its speed was fascinating. It was traveling up and up. Any moment it would be out. All it needed was a bit of force. I needed a bit of push. And I was being provided with that. I was being joined, more and more. From the calm lake, from the beautiful river, from the loud waterfall, from the growling ocean, from the muddy underground, from the eyes, from the sweat.

From the secret my father had given me.

Everything was coming to me. The huge missing piece of my puzzle was getting visible. I could see it. One moment it was blue. One moment it was green. One moment it was black. But mostly it was transparent. It could care and it could hurt. It could relive a man dying of thirst and it could kill the whole world by raging a tsunami. It was empowering me. It was strengthening me. It was making me. It was becoming me.

 **"Water is everywhere Bella, you just need to find it"**

 **"Nasty little thing aren't you? You always managed to slip through my fingers like water"**

With a gasp, I opened my eyes.

I was water.

There was the sound of a huge crash from the bathroom, like something heavy had broken.

"What the fuck!" Edward swore.

I looked aside and saw the door of the bathroom bursting open and water coming out of it in huge volumes.


	33. Chapter 30

**CHAPTER 30**

 **BELLA**

Have you ever found yourself in a situation when you suddenly discover that you have finally reached where you belong but then out of nowhere something starts pulling you away from it and you cannot do anything to resist? Because it is not right to push that force away? Because along with belonging to that place, a part of you belongs to that force too? I was experiencing something similar.

I was flowing everywhere. My body felt like a liquid jelly. The feeling was liberating. I felt as if I had finally got something I had been unknowingly craving for since a long, long time. I was free, of what, I had no fucking idea! But I knew I had never felt so happy before.

If only I had known that happiness is painful too...

 **"And the award for best water player goes to Rene Swan"**

 **The crowd burst into loud cheers as a beautiful young girl with an infectious smile walked up to the stage. Her modest grace could not hide the confidence which was getting reflected in every step taken by her. Yet she didn't appear bad or cocky. No, it suited her. The glow of victory was meant for her. It was victory's honor to get associated with her, not really the other way round. The auditorium was echoing with appreciation because every person present there knew that the girl deserved every bit of it. She was the best.**

 **"A huge round of applause for Rene Swan!"**

 **A lady dressed in navy blue cloak smiled and despite her withered face her twinkling eyes screamed of a prideful joy. More than Rene, it was she who felt like a winner.**

 **"You still haven't mastered it well Rene" the same lady said in a patient voice as the best water player continued to sweat buckets while concentrating with all her might. Her eyes were closed yet anybody could make out that she was struggling very hard. Her face was deep red, as if it had been burnt. Her eyes were cringed with concentration and pain. She was panting heavily. Her arms were spread towards the sea and her hands were wide open, facing upside down. A blue ring was gleaming on the index finger of her left hand.**

 **"Let yourself flow girl" the lady instructed. "You are no different. You are a part of water and water is a part of you"**

 **"I GOT THIS!" the girl screamed and a huge wave of water rose from the sea. Slowly, it turned in her direction and then, it began galloping towards her.**

 **"Do you like it sweetheart?" the same girl was now an extremely alluring woman.**

 **She was bent over a cot in which a baby girl was laughing loudly while moving her hands and legs constantly. The woman's left index finger was pointed towards the girl's chest and small droplets of water were coming out of it, falling on the baby. But the baby girl didn't mind getting wet. She was enjoying it and was asking for more.**

 **"You are a free mermaid princess" Rene bent and pressed a light kiss on the girl's forehead. "Nothing can imprison you"**

 **A blue dagger was plunged through her heart and the whole house echoed with the most heart wrenching scream ever. Blood spilled out of the woman's chest as she floundered painfully.**

 **A man in black clothes checked her left hand. The ring was missing. Swearing profusely, he cut her finger off, making her scream more and more but in a very feeble voice.**

 **But it was fine. The pain was intense and killing but still it was bearable because she had kept her promise. She hadn't betrayed her sistren. Yes, she had broken all the rules and had disappointed everybody. Her promises had gone in vain but her oath hadn't. It was fulfilled.**

 **Dying wasn't painful anymore. Soon she would be with her love, and this time, there would be no fear. Finally, they were going to be together, forever.**

 **Even amidst the torture, she smiled serenely.**

I smiled, forgetting my pain for a moment. My eyes were closed still I could see that the entire room was filled with water, up to the roof, and I was flowing somewhere near the bathroom door. I could see lighter stuff like papers and plastic balls spread all around, flowing just like me. The lamp had fallen on the floor and had broken into pieces. The position of all the furniture in the room had shifted. Inside water, I could see everything more accurately. The small patterns on the nearby vase were gleaming in front of me. The designs made on curtains were mingling with my liquid breath. The sound of water as it tried to accumulate more and more in the confined room felt like music to my ears.

I could stay like this forever. Flowing and going wherever I wanted to, without any care, any tension. Yes, I was a freak. A water freak. Water had always been around me and I had finally found it. I could slip through, just like it, anytime, anywhere.

All those weird and casual statements made complete sense now.

Weird statements by Jeff.

"Bella where are you?" his voice echoed in my ears.

I opened my eyes. Jeff was here. He had come to rescue me. I turned around. I couldn't see Edward anywhere but it wasn't needed. Even without looking, I could sense that he was under the bed. He must have fallen because of the turbulent force of water. Somehow the thought of mighty Edward Cullen who could give coaching to all the jerks in the world on how to be an egotistical ass getting defeated by water made me snicker. I grinned.

Well, well, not everything can stay in your control boy.

"BELLA PLEASE CONCENTRATE!" Jeff screamed.

Annoyed, I promised myself to punch him in the face the moment I met him. First he had the audacity to hide such super cool but at the same time such freakily scary stuff from me, then he had to go through all my memories (not that I could blame him for that completely but what the hell! I still did!), then he had to announce out of nowhere that we had to leave (and mind you that was especially very pissing off because Durango had started appearing like a home to me), then he took so much time in finding my whereabouts and the last straw of all, he had the gall to ask me to concentrate on I had no idea what when I couldn't make sense of anything and everything about me!

Confused? Freaked out? Welcome to the club!

But there was one thing I could say with absolute certainty. It didn't matter if your best friend was a guy. At the end of the day he too is a jerk, like his brethren. Actually, boys needed to be declared as an entirely different species. They definitely didn't deserve to be called humans.

"YOU HAVE GONE CRAZY!" Jeff again.

"Well of course I have" I yelled it out loud this time, not bothering to speak in my mind. It didn't matter anyway. I was _thinking_ it so naturally Jeff would get what I was saying "I have you in my life! Makes me a certified insane"

"Bella hold yourself together!"

"Easy for you to say" I laughed hysterically when I realized that speaking in water was not an issue with me. It was going in my mouth alright but still my vocal chords were active as ever. There was no difference in my way of communication. It was like I was standing on land and talking. "You try holding yourself together when your body is going all over the place in _different directions_ "

This was true. One moment I saw my hand, next moment it turned into water. And a moment after that, I found my hand in the corner of the room, and no, it was not broken. Only my arm had elongated enough to cover the ten feet distance like it was a daily job. Now you get what I meant by _going all over the place._ I meant it literally, because similar was happening with my limbs. I felt like a liquid stretchable elastic band. I didn't even want to think about how I looked at the moment because the biggest problem was ... I was naked! My clothes had torn off the moment my body had decided to play stretch-and-stretch with itself. I forced myself not to think about my hideous scars and how they must be looking now as my body was super inflated. Good that Edward was stuck under the bed. I could feel him straining to swim his way out but water wasn't letting him. I wasn't sure but maybe this was happening because I wanted it.

"You are right about that" said Jeff. I could sense that he was nearby. He was out of Edward's mansion but he was very close to the room I was locked in. "You can alter the force of water according to your will Bella. All you need to do is command it to do so and at the same time imagine yourself doing the same. The more you will act like you are one with water, the easier it will get for you to control it"

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" I yelled. I was seriously confused. I myself was surprised why I wasn't throwing a fit. I mean come on, I had just had several visions of my mother playing the ultimate water princess or sorceress and it was terrifying because I had never known anything about my mother!

All these years I had thought of her as my father's murderer and now, to think that I might have the same abilities as her made me want to lash out at something violently. I didn't want any part of her within me. I was many things but I was not a murderer!

But I was. In a way I was. So many innocent people had died either because of me or my silence. The silence which had spoken volumes of my abnormality. The only difference between me and my mother was that she had committed my father's murder directly where as I had been involved in all the killings indirectly.

Like mother, like daughter.

Suited me.

And I was _not_ fine with it.

I decided then and there that I would not use my mother's ability to break out of this place. Yes, I was desperate to get out and I would get out but it would be by some other means. I wasn't taking any favors from a killer woman.

"Don't do that stupidity Bella!" Jeff said in an urgent tone. "If you try to suppress the power or get rid of it, it will kill you"

"Thanks for the knowledge Sherlock" I yelled. "It certainly makes dying better"

"You are not dying anytime soon Bella!"

"My wait is finally over. I'm not delaying it anymore" I wanted to die before Edward managed to look at my body.

"Don't be a fool Bella!" Jeff screamed his lungs out. "Dying always appears like the easiest option but the truth is that it is the most difficult action"

"Difficult is the synonym of my life!"

"You have no idea of what it is" he sounded gentle yet I could feel that he was trying to keep the frustration out of his voice. "I know it hasn't been easy for you but trust me when I say that you're better off like this"

"Like this? Like this?" I was half crying, half laughing. "All these years I kept running because I never wanted my past t catch up with me. I never saw myself having a future and so I lived in the present, making the most of it because I did not have any choice and because I lacked the fucking courage to commit suicide. You always pushed me to believe that my approach was wrong and I should start being alive instead of merely living and now you say that all of this had always been for the better? WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?"

"I want you to trust me, one last time" Jeff pleaded. "I know there are many questions going on in your mind and my silence and lies haven't made it any easier for you to believe me after the hell you have always been through. But there are some things you really need to know Bella. Please believe me, you do have a future, and it can be a great one if you just embrace what's inside you and give me one chance"

"I'm tired Jeff" I could feel my defenses weakening. Slowly, my limbs started shortening, returning to their original size. "I don't know if there's anything I want to know anymore. Whatever you say is not going to make any difference. I have lost interest in it. Nothing matters now"

"Will it matter if I tell you that your mother did not kill your father?"


	34. Chapter 31

**CHAPTER 31**

BELLA

"This isn't true" I said quietly.

"Yes it is" Jeff insisted. "Please believe me Bella"

The feeling of liberation had vanished. Now I felt like I had swallowed a can of thousand worms. I knew Jeff cared about me and would do everything in his power to save me but never had I thought that he would resort to speaking such a big lie after knowing how my past affected me. More than support I had always counted on Jeff for his honesty and to know that today even that was being snatched away for me proved as another reason for me to simply give up and die.

"I know I haven't been honest with you Bella" Jeff whispered "but this time I am speaking only the truth. Please believe me. I swear on you"

Even a person like me who never ever trusted anyone knew that he was not lying. I did not ask Jeff for the instructions again on how to get out of here. I knew it now. But the sad part was that I would not be getting any satisfaction out of it. Now breaking Edward's lair was just a task which I needed to do so as to get my answers.

Channelizing all my energy, I focused on the window above the bed and imagined the thick glass breaking from the excessive force of water. I let my frustration take over me which caused uneasy ripples to go through water at a rapidly increasing pace. With each passing moment, the water got more and more restless. I pointed my hand towards the window and after fisting it for a second, I pulled it back then punched it towards the window with all the force. Cracks appeared and a horrible pain shot through my arm. Water was a strong element but any hindrance which caused it to change its shape and position pained it.

And because it pained water, it pained me too.

"Harder Bella" Jeff encouraged.

I focused on the window once again and repeated my action. The glass shook harder as more cracks appeared but it still did not break. However I was certain that my arm would break off my shoulder any moment.

"Next attempt would do" Jeff promised.

Ignoring him, I did the same and this time indeed, the glass broke. Out the water flowed, and with it, so did I.

 **ALICE**

The ceiling fell, but it never hurt me. The wall stopped about five inches from my face. I gasped hard. I was dying to breathe.

"Alice MOVE!" Rosalie's strained voice made me look at her. Her face had turned red and sweat beads were covering her forehead. She was holding her breath. Her hands were fisted at a side. I remembered seeing her joining her right hand with Ms. Mckenzie's before the roof had broken but now it was at her side. Apparently I had missed that movement because of my blurry vision.

"Come on Alice" Ms. McKenzie's voice made me look at her. She looked red too but she was not having that difficulty in holding in holding herself. Her condition was a lot better than Rosalie's. With a start I realized what they had done. They had combined their mind power and created a shield strong enough to withhold the ceiling from hurting us. But creating that shield had sucked in all the oxygen from our surroundings because of which I was finding it impossible to breathe. My head spun. Every second was turning out to be a bigger shocker than the last and I was not getting time to adjust myself to it.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME!" Rosalie screamed.

"Go Alice" Ms. McKenzie encouraged me "make it quick, love. We won't be able to hold it for long."

So gathering my strength and fighting my nausea, I mustered all my will power and dragged myself to the foot of the bed. Sitting up would have made it easy to escape but unfortunately I could not do it with the wall hovering above my face at the gap of five inches. I tried to drag myself as hard and as quickly I could because of Rosalie and Ms. McKenzie. They needed to escape too.

"QUICK, QUICK!" Rosalie shouted.

"I'm trying" I managed in a hoarse voice and finally reached the end of the bed. My legs hung down and ignoring the sharp pain in my back from the pointed edge of the bed, I dragged myself further. I had just slid to the floor when...

 _WHAM!_

 **ROSALIE**

All of a sudden the pressure on my mind and heart reduced. The relief was so intense that it wavered my concentration for a bit. The ceiling shook dangerously.

"Don't lose focus Rosalie" Ms. McKenzie said immediately.

Cursing myself for the stupid slip, I focused again. I had to hold the ceiling until Alice got away safely. When I had come to know about my powers, at that time I hadn't known the extent of things I could do. Mind reading and bending people's will itself had been scary, but when Ms. McKenzie had introduced me to the whole new universe of the possibilities of my powers, I had nearly gone paranoid. I had hated it at first but the circumstances which had followed after that had left me with no choice but to accept what was an avoidable part of me. And so, for Alice's safety, I had practiced. But I was still far from better. I had to go a long way.

I was trying but at the same time I was dying. My eyesight was darkening with each passing second. My heart rate was reducing and my head threatened to explode with pain. It was thousand times worse than my usual problem of migraine.

"Just a little more Rosalie just a little more" Ms. McKenzie kept on chanting and I felt like murdering her that very moment! Easier for her to say. She had been dealing with this shit since last one hundred years. She was a pro. She was capable enough to stop an entire building from collapsing then why was she making me do this? Why the hell was she taking my help in doing this when she herself could manage to alone was a mystery to me which I was in no mood to solve as of now. I had to stay alive for that. I couldn't wait to get out of this hell hole and finish the task at hand.

But I guess this was not going to happen. I was losing my grip and I had lost my vision completely. I could feel the ceiling shaking and I knew I was left with only a few seconds. I could save Alice but I would not be able to save myself.

"I won't let anything happen to you" I heard a voice and my eyes flew open in shock.

There was the sound of a loud thrashing and the pressure on my chest went down another notch. I lost control and I heard the ceiling crash. But I was not hurt. The veins in my head stopped screaming as I was released from my mental prison. I felt a pair of hard, strong yet gentle arms beneath my back before I was picked and found myself in the air. The smell of mint made me sigh. Emotions warred in me as I realized who had come to my rescue.

"Everything is fine" I ignored the strange things happening in my stomach after hearing Emmett's voice.

And his voice did the job. As soon as the words left his mouth, my vision started clearing rapidly. A moment later, I could see the room. It was in shambles with plaster and cement lying everywhere. Ms. McKenzie was standing near the door watching Alice quietly who was in Jasper's arms. I realized Jasper must have broken the wall first which had made it slightly easier for me to hold the roof for another few seconds, and just when I had been about to give up, Emmett had arrived and had broken the rest of it.

I looked at Emmett and found his gaze glued to my lips. A shiver went down my spine. That pulled him out of his daze and his eyes met mine. I couldn't look in them so I looked away.

"Are you alright?" I heard Jasper's rasped whisper. His face was hidden beside Alice's throat and her arms were tightly wrapped around him.

I felt my fury return with vengeance. He had no right to touch Alice after the way he had treated her! I tried to jump out of Emmett's arms but he tightened his hold around me, making it impossible for me to budge even an inch.

"Let them be" he said in a quiet voice. I was about to blurt that he was not my mate anymore but he beat me to it. "Alice hasn't rejected her mate"

Somehow the quietly spoken words and his intense green eyes felt like a sharper slap on my face than the pain a hard blow would have inflicted. Amidst my spinning thoughts, I had to agree. There was only a limit to which I could protect or rather interfere between Alice and Jasper. I could not cross the mating territory. What Alice did from here would be solely her choice and I would have to support her in it.

"Put me down" I said through gritted teeth. The unfairness and helplessness of this all was making me angry.

"Stay put for a while" Emmett said softly "you have hurt your foot"

I looked at my leg and sure enough, my right foot was bleeding horribly. When had I hurt it? I hadn't felt the ceiling falling on me then how...?

"STOP HER!" Jasper's scream made me forget my injury. I looked at him and saw Alice looking at him in the similar startled manner.

"What happened?" asked Ms. McKenzie.

"Edward's in trouble" Jasper's nostrils had started flaring "and Bella's running away!"


	35. Chapter 32

**CHAPTER 32**

 **BELLA**

Never had I ever imagined in my wildest of dreams that I would experience flying and swimming together. But that's exactly what was happening to me right now! As I ... um, floated I guess, yeah, floated out of the window, I couldn't help feeling like some graceful super model. The one with a killer body but a sassy face, saying I have the body of a rose but my face itself is a claw. Come close to me and I'll shred you to bits. Except that I was no super model and I knew better than anyone else that my face was that of a weak and harmless teenager who couldn't even hurt a hair on anybody's body. I didn't mind it though. I enjoyed proving people wrong whenever they underestimated me. The only thing I enjoyed in a fight was the stunned look that came on my opponent's face when he/she saw the moves I made to defend myself. Apart from that, the reason of the fight and its consequences were of no interest to me.

Down and down I went, inhaling the sweet smell of pine all the way. My eyes were closed but I didn't need them to remain open to see what was present in my surroundings. Water could see it, so I could see it too. The palace in which I had been brought after being abducted was in the middle of a dense forest. The spot where it was made had been chosen with care and intelligence. There was a fixed distance between all the trees and the palace and each tree was covered in different flowers. With birds sitting on each branch and the green blanket of grass enhancing the ground, the sight looked breathtaking. The bad boy lived with vigor, beauty and style. Had I been a normal girl, I would have melted at the exotic combination.

I sensed the shadow of a person standing near the corner most banyan tree. Opening my eyes, I looked at Jeff who was watching me quietly. The beauty of the surroundings stopped appealing to me at once. I was out of hell which was smacked in the middle of a heaven situated under the wraps of a bigger hell. Now I was back to the ultimate hell which my life was except that maybe this time, that hell would make sense.

My feet touched the ground and I resisted the urge to moan in pleasure. The soft grass appeared like feathers to my skin. It was mid-evening and I could see the outline of the setting sun. I had been in the room for not more than a few hours but still I felt as if I hadn't been out since ages.

The loud thrashing sound broke my peace and I looked back to see the entire side from which I had escaped demolishing. The walls were cracking at an alarming rate and their gravels were falling continuously. If it continued like this, the whole palace would be gone in the next few minutes though I still had no idea how huge it was. Guilt swamped my heart for a moment. I had done too much damage this time. But then I remembered the treatment I had received from Edward and the feeling of remorse vanished in a jiffy. The last few tender moments could not make up for all those times when he had acted like a dick.

"Bella" I turned to look at Jeff. "Wear this" He threw a huge dark maroon robe towards me but still I could not bring myself to express my gratitude, because I wasn't feeling any. I was angry with Jeff, very, very angry. Catching the robe, I wore it quickly, managing to hide my pathetic excuse for a body. I had just finished tying the robe when I felt Jeff's hand on my arm. How did he come so close so quickly? And when? "Let's go" he said and was about to pull me with him when he noticed something and stilled.

I followed his gaze and found a golden pendant on my collarbone. A sun. The pendant was heavy and the chain was thick. I knew without a doubt that it was made of twenty-four carat gold.

"What the fuck!" Jeff swore loudly "take this off!"

He raised his hand to pull the locket away but the moment his fingers touched it, he backed away screaming. I watched, shocked beyond measure. His fingers were burnt badly. It was a third degree burn. Their skin had come off and they were bleeding profusely. Jeff had a high tolerance for pain but the way he was wailing in agony and jerking his hand up and down clearly showed that he was in a lot of pain.

Instinctively, I raised my hand towards his with my palm facing upside down. The water which had rescued me rose from underground and splashed on Jeff's hand. A minute later, it vaporized. But there was no wound on Jeff's hand anymore. It looked as if it had never been hurt. Jeff looked at me, his eyes shining with the tears of prideful joy. Why was he looking so elated?

"You finally found it" he whispered.

"Found what?" I asked.

"Your legacy"

"My what?"

He opened his mouth to reply but then his gaze fell on the locket again and his face hardened. "You need to take this off" he said coldly.

I looked at the locket again. I don't know why, but wearing it was making me feel ... safe ... secure ... protected. Something which I hadn't felt in a really long time, not after my first and last brief embrace with my father. I knew I had Jeff to watch my back, but ... I had never felt this safe even with him.

I looked at him. "Why?" I asked. I did not wish to take it off.

"We don't have time Bella" I could see Jeff running out of patience. This was puzzling. I had never seen Jeff behave like this before. He looked ... desperate, but for what?

But I didn't care, not anymore. He was acting bipolar, just like Edward, and I had be damned if I went with this too.

"I'm not leaving until I get my answers" I said with a tone of finality.

"Bella..."

"Now or never Jeff!"

"I swear I'll tell you everything but first we need to get out of here. But before that, you need to take this off of you" I raised an eyebrow at his pleading. "They will be behind you any moment and we have to leave Durango at any cost" he insisted.

That brought me back to my senses. I looked back and sure enough, I could hear the sound of shouting and screaming as the people inside the palace tried to save themselves from getting hurt. The damage was still on. Damage. Blood chilled my bones. Alice was still inside.

"I need to save Alice!" I was about to rush inside but Jeff held my arm and stopped me.

"She's safe" he promised.

I tried to jerk my arm free. I was running out of time. "How do you know that?" I yelled angrily. If anything happened to Alice then...

"Because you are fine"

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"Concentrate Bella!" Holding my shoulders Jeff gave me a good shake. "Don't you feel it?"

"Feel what?" I wanted to break his arms for stopping me. Alice was the only true friend I had ever had after Jeff and this fucker was not letting me save her.

"Focus Bella focus" saying this he pressed his finger to my forehead and I stilled.

Moments flashed in front of my eyes, all the sweet memories I had created with Alice, our time on the tree, the secret spot of hers and Rosalie which she had shared with me, how she had taken my side despite craving for Jasper, her promise to always choose me over him, her forgiving me even after I had hurt her, how her jovial, understanding and innocent nature had slowly found its way in my ... heart, how I had started caring for her all of a sudden, how I had experienced so many firsts with her and how I had developed the fear of losing her. Each memory brought a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart. And every time through a memory, I knew, Alice was fine.

"Do you believe me now?" Jeff asked in a gentle voice.

Opening my eyes, I nodded slowly.

"Then let's go"

I tried to resist. I wanted to say good bye to Alice but Jeff was having none of it. When he found that I was still being uncooperative, he turned and glaring at me, tossed me over his shoulder. Shocked, I could not react for a few seconds before my senses kicked in and I used every swear word in my dictionary to stop him from carrying cum taking me like that. Because getting carried like that reminded me of a bittersweet memory.

"Jeff!" I screamed for probably the tenth time "Stop it otherwise I swear I will..."

"THERE THEY ARE! CATCH THEM!"

I raised my head up to look at the source of voice and boy, for the first time in my life, was I glad to see Jasper!

 **ROSALIE**

I swear to every fucking force in this universe that I would cause a mayhem once I was out of this prison. The gall of these guys! _**How dare they lock us again?!**_

"I don't believe this" Alice cried furiously as she struggled against the chains. "I fucking don't believe this!"

"This is what you get for forgiving a dick!" I spat venomously and made another feeble attempt to free myself of the chains. For the first time I wished my powers were strong enough to get us out. Had I not been so exhausted after using all my energy in the bedroom to save ourselves from the falling roof, I would have broken these chains with my mental force and got us out.

The entire male species is a curse! A fucking bloody curse! It's the way for the cosmic energy to laugh at us, mock us and play sick jokes on us! What did we do to deserve all this?

After coming at the _right_ time, that is when the roof had already fallen and I was fizzing out from the strain, I had expected that we would be treated with some respect or at least with less animalist attitude. But surely that had been too much to ask! As soon as Jasper had found out that Bella was running away, he had looked at Emmett in a strange way which I had understood was their mind talk. Whatever he had said, Emmett had clearly agreed to it and together, the douche bags had carried me and Alice to the dungeons. I was drained and in no condition to fight and they had taken complete advantage of my condition. Within seconds I and Alice were chained to the walls and they had left without any explanation. I had been too weak to yell even a curse at them.

So here we were, in the ultimate dungeons of the Sunshine Pack with no fucking idea of what was going on outside except that Edward and his clan were after Bella.

Bella. The black moon of my destiny. How I couldn't wait to get rid of her!

"That's it" Alice said through gritted teeth. "I don't care anymore. I'm rejecting Jasper the second he comes in front of me"

"Happy illusion making" I rolled my eyes. Alice would never do that. It may have been possible earlier but now it wasn't. I had seen the way she had embraced Jasper after he had rescued her. Alice had come too far. Too bad all the assholes were reserved for me and my friend.

"No I seriously will and then I will..."

"Will you shut up for some time?" I wanted to press my temple because it was throbbing painfully. "I need time to think and also to regain my strength to break out of here"

Alice looked at me and her eyes softened. I groaned. I knew that look. Any moment from now, she was going to start with her you-have-already-done-too-much-and-please-don't-hurt-yourself speech backed with the stupid hope that things would get better.

"Ms. McKenzie will rescue us" she said in an assuring voice.

See what I meant.

"And the pigs fly" I slumped on my knees and closed my eyes. My body was not going to start recovering any time soon.

 **ALICE**

I watched sadly as Rosalie closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep. Sighing, I sat on the floor. Seeing her like this broke my heart. She had had such a rough life and was so used to the pain that even the idea of happiness and comfort appeared disgusting to her. I know she detested Bella. Her eyes reflected the passion with which she hated her and I know that she held Bella responsible for our current condition. But as of now, I could do nothing about it.

What Rosalie hadn't realized till now was that she was a lot like Bella. Tough, a hard nut to crack, stubborn, badass in the battleground and the habit to put up a brave front in every situation. It got to me at times, how these two girls absolutely refused to accept that they were tired to the point of annoyance and continued fighting even after knowing that it was pointless. They loathed weakness at all costs. If they became partners, then this duo would be unbeatable. But as of now that was my far-fetched dream.

Yes, I was angry with Jasper. Very angry. But when he had taken me in his arms, I had felt home. I loved him. Loved him with all my being, and that love, was going to be a big problem. I couldn't reject him, not now at least, but later, if this is how things continued, then I wouldn't be left with any other choice. I wish I had the power to set everything right, at least for once.

I couldn't decide what outcome I wanted for Bella. I wanted her to escape from here because I couldn't see her getting treated this way by Edward but at the same time, I did not want her to leave. She was the most important person in my life. Without her I was nothing. My existence was useless. I was born for her. To be with her, forever.

Closing my eyes, I let the exhaustion and shock was over me. I needed to shut my mind for some time or else I was sure my head would burst. At least this time I knew that the boys had locked us in this room not to satisfy their egos but for the greater good. Because Emmett had said something to me before leaving, something which he hadn't been allowed to tell but he had done it anyway.

"You will be free soon" he had promised and the sincerity in his eyes had made me believe him. Besides he was the sanest person in Edward's gang anyway. I had seen how his eyes had filled with pain when he had been forced to chain Rosalie against his will. He was taking the situation in stride but the truth was that he was finding it nearly impossible to handle the rejection.

"We are doing this to protect you" He said the next words to me, but I knew they were meant for Rosalie.

Why was love so painful?

Thinking about it, I drifted off to sleep.


	36. Chapter 33

**CHAPTER 33**

 **BELLA**

"Damn!" I heard Jeff swear when he realized we were being followed.

"It's no point in trying to outrun them!" I yelled. "They are too fast."

"Really? Do you have a better option?" From the way Jeff was speaking, I could make out that his teeth were gritted. It happened whenever we were in the middle of a situation and he was thinking of ways to escape.

"How about putting me down?" I suggested.

"Not a chance!"

Rolling my eyes, I looked at Jasper again. The gap between us was reducing. He was catching up. "I'm not interested in getting imprisoned again" I said and bit my tongue. Because, what the hell, I hadn't said these words. _I had sang them._

 _As if like I was enjoying this wild, goose chase!_ FUCK NO!

"You need serious mental help" Jeff declared as he increased his pace. How was he able to manage my weight while running faster? Yeah okay the years of running had increased our tolerance and stamina to impressive levels but come on, we were just humans. Then I remembered how I had escaped.

Or maybe not.

I wanted to punch Jeff in the face but my loyalties were preventing me from doing so. Yes he had lied to me and I don't know what else he was hiding from me but there was no doubt that he had always protected me all these years with utmost sincerity and dedication. So turning my back on him would be a bad thing to do. I decided to be helpful.

"You know, after discovering what I can do, there is no need for you to hide your, um, _legacies,_ from me either" I said. "I'm sure, the tricks which you have up your sleeve aren't normal but, if they can help you in escaping from here then I guess, you should go ahead."

"You won't freak out?" The excitement in Jeff's voice made me wish I hadn't said that but I decided to indulge him anyway.

"Honestly, after this, nothing can surprise me"

"So do I have your permission?"

In response, I gave a solid punch on his back that made him grunt.

"You nutcase! I thought you understood English!"

"Then buckle up your seatbelts Bella" Jeff's infectious laughter made me smile amidst my anger and discomfort. "Because we are going for a ride"

"By seatbelts do you mean I should pull your shirt from your pants and tie it to my waist with your face?" I asked sarcastically "or your hair will do the job?"

"I never knew you could joke so bad"

The retort I had been about to make died on my tongue when next moment, I found myself flying across the forest. My hair was flapping on my face as everything around me blurred to the point of no vision. Trees were being left behind faster than light and the feel of chilled wind against my skin was making my eyes water and teeth chatter. That was when I realized that we weren't flying. _Jeff was running!_ This supersonic speed was undoubtedly his. I could barely feel his feet touching the ground. He was shooting past everything like a burnt meteor. Unstoppable and unbeatable. How on earth did he, wait, did he even belong to earth?

I was right. This was not surprising at all. This was _shocking!_

I held on the back of Jeff's shirt tightly as he covered the distance of I don't know how long from the forest to our home within minutes.

Suddenly, he stopped and the impact made me bang my face hard against his back. But I was too breathless to react. Slowly, and gently, Jeff brought me down and as soon as my feet touched the ground, he scooped me up in his arms. Thank god he did that because I was sure that right now my legs did not have the strength to walk. I was too shaken to look at his face or celebrate the joy of finally returning to my home. My body felt lifeless, drained of all energy. I couldn't do anything anymore.

I closed my eyes and let Jeff take me inside. There was a sound of click and I knew Jeff had locked the door. As my mind became more aware of the surroundings, I recognized the living room. Jeff put me down on the couch and vanished. I had barely blinked when he was back with a glass of water.

"Here" he supported my back as he helped me in sitting up and held the glass to my mouth. I realized my throat was parched so I drank the water thirstily. It helped. The moment water went down my throat, I felt my energy returning. Jeff made me lie on the couch again. After sometime I could feel that my body did not feel as lifeless as before. Slowly but steadily, I was recovering, but from what, I had no idea.

"Feeling better?" the question made me look up at Jeff.

Sighing, I shook my head. "I don't know" I said in a weak voice. "I will have to find out." Before Jeff could ask what, I balled up my hand into a fist and slammed it on his jaw. The sound of crack followed by Jeff losing his balance and falling on the floor was the most satisfying scene I witnessed after a long time.

"Bella!" Grumbling, Jeff stood up but the look on my face stopped him from saying anything further.

"Alright" I said. "Start talking."


	37. Chapter 34

**Thank you so much ImErin for being so generous with your reviews. Reading them truly makes my day. I'm glad you like the story and I hope you like the future parts as well. God bless. :-)**

 **CHAPTER 34**

 **BELLA**

I waited as Jeff arrived with a chair and sat in front of me. I held my breath. Finally I was going to get my answers, and finally I would be able to understand something which would make sense of whatever in the name of hell was going on. Taking my hands in his, Jeff smiled at me. There was something in his eyes that made me smile back at him despite my impatience and anger. His joy was, infectious. More than me, he looked ready to burst.

"You have no idea how long I have waited for this day" he said. "Had I not been bound by the rules, I would have told you everything long time back."

"Told me what?" I asked in an impatient voice.

His smile glimmered. "Happy birthday Bella"

I couldn't blink. What? It was my birthday? Today? Really? I looked at the calendar hanging on the wall at my right. Fifteenth of June, yes, it was my birthday indeed. I had stopped celebrating my birthday or considering it special since the second I had had to leave my home. The day meant nothing to me except a cursed game of some supreme power who had decided to increase my sufferings by sending me on this blasted planet or granting me life in some way. From my transformation of a pampered doll who had always been bombarded with gifts on her birthday to a street thief, the day had lost its significance for me in that journey. A time had come when this particular date used to make me furious, but when Jeff had pointed out that he was actually grateful and for him, this date was like no less than a festival since I had been born on this day because of which he had found a true lifelong friend, I had stopped cursing it. Now, I felt nothing, neither happiness, nor sadness or any sort of anger. If Jeff wanted to be happy on this day, then I did not have the heart to stop him. That was why, I had started accepting Jeff's wishes on this day since my thirteenth birthday. And today, as I turned eighteen and became an adult, I did not exactly feel like jumping with joy. My birthday still did not mean anything to me.

"Thanks" I muttered.

Jeff's smile dimmed. "I know, this day does not hold any meaning for you" he said quietly "and you cannot be blamed for it either. But Bella, you will find out soon enough why this day is so important. Today you have turned eighteen and you developed your first legacy on the same day. This is a very good sign. Finally your stars are ready to shine down on us."

"You know that for me you are still talking riddles right?" I said coldly.

Jeff sighed as he accepted defeat. He really could not make me feel any happiness towards my birthday. "Fine" he said. "In order to make you understand I will have to begin everything from the beginning."

I waited.

"Thousands of years ago, there were five tribes which resided in the forests of Albania" he began. "Each tribe had its own specialty. The power gifted to those tribes from their respective gods was so great that it was impossible to decide which side was weaker and which side was stronger. Each tribe was devoted to its own god and the powers granted to that tribe were a replica of the powers possessed by its special deity. That is why the tribes had decided to name themselves with the power they had been bestowed with because they firmly believed that a name contains a lot of power. At times, merely saying the name is enough to instill fear in the hearts of your enemies. It was also a sign of their love and respect for their deity. Those tribes were Gaisras"

I gasped as the pendant around my neck became excruciatingly hot.

"Vanduo"

My hands tingled, ready to liquidize any second.

"Oro"

Suddenly, my head began to feel very light.

"Zeme"

My feet jerked and my legs started shivering.

"And Dvasia"

I felt an uncomfortable sensation in my belly, like my intestines had started moving to their own accord, trying to separate, or rather liberate, something within me, which had stayed locked for far too long.

Each name had sent a shiver down my spine. I felt as if I was coming to terms with what I should have always known. It felt like coming home. None of these reactions were making me afraid. They were surprising, but not scary.

"What do these names mean?" I asked, though I knew the answer already.

Jeff smiled knowingly. "These are the Lithuanian names for five elements. You know what they are."

I looked down at my hands which were still in Jeff's and remembered what I had been able to do today. He said that I had got my first legacy today. Vanduo. I had got my first legacy of water. So did it mean that I was a member of Vanduo tribe? I recalled the glimpses I had had in Edward's room when I had been trying to escape. They belonged to my mother's life. I remembered it now, when I was small, my mother often used to indulge me in water games. The memories were few and very blurred, but yes, my mother always used to call me her mermaid. That was her endearment for me.

I looked up at Jeff who was patiently waiting for me to comprehend everything.

"So I'm a descendant of Vanduo" It was not a question.

Jeff nodded with a smile. I sighed. I was having mixed feelings. I had always been on my own, even when I had been able to see the word from a better perch. I had had only one friend in my childhood and I had never been particularly interested in spending time with my parents as they had never been there for me. And when I had lost everything, I had convinced myself that the life I had been living till the age of six had been an illusion. That had made it easy for me to bury my curiosity about my family tree or any information related to my background. Once, I had also imagined that maybe I was adopted. The extravagant lifestyle of my parents must have refrained them from having their own children and so just to continue their family line or maybe to show the world their highly charitable side they had adopted a girl who unfortunately was me but then, I myself had had to get over this theory because I looked a lot like my mother. I resembled her so much that sometimes I just had to look at myself in the mirror to remember what she looked like. Everything was the same except my eyes and nose. Those two I had got from my father. Knowing that I was their child and yet not receiving any love from them had hardened my resolve to stay away from feelings.

But the truth was, in a far corner of my mind, there had always been a longing, a curiosity to know about them. My parents. My history. My background. Who was I? Who were they? Why hadn't I ever met my grandparents? Did I even have any? Whenever I had asked mother about them, she had always replied that I should not ask so many questions as they could get me into trouble. She had forbidden me from asking questions, but she had never said that they were dead. And my father, he had never been around much to talk anyway.

And today, on my eighteenth birthday, after having got my first legacy, I could not deny that there was something which my mother had passed onto me. Something that hadn't just been hers but had belonged to my ancestors. This was the real connection. This was a bond which I could not ignore, a thread which tied me to my ... family.

"What about my father?" I asked to divert myself from the thoughts which were making me highly uncomfortable. I felt ... good, I guess, in a way, maybe even happy, but it was nothing worth celebrating. But my curiosity about my father had increased too. I did not have any memory of him ever displaying any super powers, still I knew he wasn't human because had he been a human, he wouldn't have disintegrated when my mother killed him, or maybe not, because Jeff had sworn that it was not my mother who had killed my father.

"I'm getting to that part. There's still a lot you need to know" said Jeff. "Because all the tribes knew that when it came to strength and each of them was very powerful, that is why, they were living with an agreement of peace. No tribe interfered in the business of other or got into unnecessary fights. They had the idea that war would ultimately cause the destruction of all which they knew could be avoided. So they maintained a respectful distance from each other. Except for the Elders, who were the heads of their tribe and met every year to renew their contract of peace, common people were forbidden from seeing other people of other tribe"

"But that's just stupid!" I almost yelled. "Why forbid someone from meeting others just because they did not belong from the same ... group? This is worse than caste system!"

A slow but warm smile came on Jeff's face. "You are a lot like him" he said.

"Who?"

"Your great-great-great-great-great grandfather. He raised the same question, and had used the same words, except there had been no caste system at that time, but this was something similar"

I shut my mouth at that. Because again I was confused about what to feel at finding that I had something similar with an ancestor of mine. Questioning the system, going against it, call it whatever. Both moves highlighted the side of rebellion. And that was something I had in common with my, leave it. It should not be surprising but well, it was just, really weird.

"The man who raised this question, your ancestor, needless to say, he fell into big trouble because of this" Jeff chuckled. "Everybody tried to tell him to stay quiet but he was not the rule-following kind"

My stomach churned. Another similarity.

"He did not budge from his opinion and sure enough, he was arrested and taken to the court of Elders. When he was asked the reason behind his, _radical_ point of view, his answer shocked everybody."

"Why? What was it?"

"The ultimate creator and destroyer of everything ... love"

I made a face at the word even though my insides jumped uneasily as Edward's face came in front of my eyes. **NO! WHAT WAS I THINKING?!**

"Then?" I asked hastily. I needed a distraction from my stupid thoughts and I needed it NOW!

Mistaking my impatience for my excitement and curiosity, Jeff continued. "Your great grandfather was one of the most powerful men in his tribe, who had a really good control on his skills. He was an important man, whom people loved to listen. And popular too, he was the most helpful person who never said no to anybody."

"In short a complete opposite of me" I said dryly. Was that annoyance I felt at finding a difference?

"You actually have a lot in common with him Bella" Jeff grinned. "I'm sure that with time you will find out"

I rolled my eyes. "Then? Who did my g ... I mean, who did he fall in love with? And what was his name?"

Jeff shook his head. "I cannot say the names. That might lead to certain ... complications"

"How come saying a name can make everything complicated?" I was baffled.

"The old legends always have some power Bella" Jeff said patiently. "And no matter how much people evolve or become modern, some things are meant to be respected for the way they were and still are"

"Let me guess. My" I took a deep breath. Calling any person except Jeff as my own was an alien concept to me as I had never joined myself with anybody in a really long time. With Alice it had been different because she was not related to me by blood, and same went for Jeff too but this, this was different. This was something I could not deny. "My great grandfather" I said after a minute "fell in love with someone from a different tribe. Right?"

Jeff nodded.

"And so the cliché tale continues" I rolled my eyes. "Falling in love with the person from a different tribe was a blunder which could not be accepted so it caused many problems for him but he was a stubborn man who did not give a rat's ass about the rules. He left his tribe, or maybe he got banished, went, got his girl and blah, blah, blah. Am I right?" I said everything in one breath.

"You make it sound easy but in reality it was damn painful and the difficulties your great grandfather faced, you cannot even imagine them"

"But that's the gist, isn't it? My great grandfather broke the first rule and so one thing led to another"

Jeff smirked. "You don't sound too surprised"

"As much as I hate to admit this, I can understand him" I said in a quiet voice. "I and rules have never been able to stick together" _Especially since I arrived in Durango. I had broken every rule in my survival guide since the moment Edward had stepped into my life._

"So you think he did the right thing?" asked Jeff.

"How does it matter? My opinion will not change the history."

"It won't" he agreed "but at least it will tell you how much you are ready to accept it"

"I wish I had it in me to empathize with him, but sadly, I don't feel even sympathetic towards him. I'm a rule breaker myself, but still I think it would have been better if he had stuck to the code of conduct set by his tribe. If anything, it would have saved us the trouble of living a garbage-like life."

"Bella, every disaster in history has occurred because someone was just following orders"

"Is this a romantic heart I'm hearing?" I asked sarcastically.

"I would prefer the term acceptor." Jeff said modestly though his eyes were twinkling. "I have accepted my history. You should do it too."

"Yes, and the day I will do that, pigs will start flying"

"This is not you who is talking but the pain and anger which you have suppressed in yourself for all these years" Jeff said gently.

My hackles rose immediately. "Complete the shitty story" I said through gritted teeth.

"So like I was saying" Jeff continued, unaffected by my reaction "your great grandfather was asked to make a choice, between his clan and his love. He chose love and you guessed it right, he was banished from Vanduo."

"Which tribe did my ... his love that is, which tribe did she belong to?"

Jeff's eyes fell on the locket and my blood turned cold. He did not have to answer.

Gaisras. My great grandmother had belonged to that tribe. Fire and water, two completely contrasting elements. I looked at the sun. It meant fire, and my legacy was of Vanduo. I was water.

"Somebody has said rightly. History repeats itself" he said quietly.

"IT WON'T!" I screamed and stood up with a jerk. "NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, I WILL NOT LET IT HAPPEN! NOT NOW! NOT EVER!"

"Bella..."

"I DON'T WANT TO KNOW ANYTHING ELSE!" Wrapping my hands around the locket, I was about to pull it off my neck when I heard the sound of a terrible crash.


	38. Chapter 35

**CHAPTER 35**

 **BELLA**

"Bloody bastards!" Jeff yelled as soon as he heard the sound.

"What was that?" I had barely completed my question when there was another crash and I knew that kitchen's window had broken.

A remote appeared in Jeff's hand out of nowhere. It was filled with countless small buttons. The top three rows were red followed by three rows of yellow and lastly three rows of green. Jeff pressed the first yellow button and there was a sound of something heavy falling outside. The ground shook as I felt a dangerous vibration beneath my feet.

"I can get us two, max to max three more minutes Bella! We need to get out of here!"

I knew this was my cue to leave but for the first time, I was numb in an emergency situation. Jeff bent at that spot on the couch where I had been sitting and taking out a sharp pocket knife, he cut the covering and padding quickly. He put his hand inside the thin gap and when his hand came out, there was a small sword in his hand. What was it made of? Five different metals? Or colors? I could not decide. The hilt of the sword was very light blue, almost colorless, like Vanduo. Water. The remaining blade consisted of other three elements. The lower most portion of the sword was yellow which I guessed was Gaisras, fire, followed by brownish green color of Zeme, earth, in the middle. The top most part was pitch black and though its look made me uneasy, I knew it was Dvasia, spirit. Where was Oro? Why was air missing? But then, air could not be contained in a sword. Perhaps it was a partial elemental sword.

Jeff stood up and turned in my direction, undoubtedly to take care of whatever problem lay ahead and was shocked to find me still standing there.

"Bella?" he shouted furiously and even in the tensed atmosphere I couldn't help thinking that Jeff had never been angry with me before. But today, he was acting very differently from what he usually did. "Why the fuck are you still here?! Didn't I just tell you that we don't have time?"

I was startled by his outburst and could not think of a word to say. My thoughts must have mirrored on my face because he took a deep breath and forced himself to become calm.

"We really need to rush Bella" he said urgently. "I promise you I'll explain everything once we are safe. Now come on, grab what's important and we will leave. I will try to hold them off for as long as I can. Go!"

Feeling better and ashamed, I rushed upstairs to my room. I shouldn't have wasted so much time. This scenario was something I was well familiar with. Leaving any place at a moment's notice to start a new life somewhere else was what I had been doing since past twelve years. I wanted to ask Jeff who were these people but I told myself that I would get my answers later. Right now, we needed to escape from here, alive.

I reached my room and pulled out the first pair of clothes from the wardrobe. I would have to fight and even with my newly discovered power I had better chances if I was dressed properly. I pulled out my rucksack from the top of the cupboard while buttoning up my shirt and filled it with extra clothes, a foldable sleeping bag, a small blanket, a leather jacket, my little bundle of cash which I had earned from working part time in the library, some protein bars which I always kept in the bedside drawer, a GPS beneath my pillow, three knives under the blanket, a bag of darts along with a bottle of arrow poison and my favorite and most trusted weapon of all, my precious crossbow, It had saved my ass from getting busted more times than I could count and I was sure that today was going to be no different.

When I was packed and ready, I looked at a particular floorboard beside my bed and hesitated. It was time for me to carry it again. Over the years, it had become like a burden, more of a curse than a blessing. Sometimes I felt that it was the reason why I was always being chased but, it was all I had which reminded me of that brief moment when my father had become my daddy. So even after I had started disliking it, I knew I was going to honor it.

I had just taken a step towards the floorboard under which I had hidden the moonstone pendant given to me by father when a movement in front caught my eye. My room had French windows so it always gave me a complete view of what was happening outside. A chill ran down my spine when I saw about half a dozen ropes slithering down from the rooftops. That would make the chasers land in my balcony thus granting them a direct access to my room. Instinctively, I pulled my crossbow from my back to my front and readied it with the poisonous darts. If those fuckers believed that they could win by outnumbering Bella Swan then they could think again. I had never given up before and this spirit had converted my loss into victory every time. And nothing was going to change about that. I hadn't been caught then, I was not getting caught now.

I was taking my position when I saw the people rappelling down the rope and that was enough to make me go numb. Because out of everyone, I hadn't been expecting them!

Those masked men who had murdered my mother.

 **ALICE**

I felt somebody waking me gently. "Wake up" the voice coaxed softly.

"Five more minutes" I whispered and turning my head aside I went back to sleep. Or maybe not because I could still feel being shaken up.

"You need to wake up Alice. It's Rosalie!"

I opened my eyes at once and looked around groggily. I was in the dungeons and the person sitting beside me was Ms. McKenzie. She was sitting next to me but her eyes were on Rosalie. I looked at Rosalie and was shocked to find her shaking and shivering uncontrollably, like she was having a seizure. My drowsiness evaporated within a second.

"What's happening to her?" I yelled and lunged towards Rosalie but the chains did not let me move more than a few inches. "Oh for god's sake!" I screamed furiously as I tried to break them off but naturally, my strength was nothing in front of the metallic chains. I looked at Ms. McKenzie who was looking at Rosalie in deep concentration and from the expression on her face I knew that she was trying to help her in some way.

"Try, try Rosalie" she kept muttering softly "Snap out of it"

I looked back at Rosalie. Her face had turned red and was drenched in sweat. Her palms had started turning blue and the veins of her neck were starting to become more and more visible with each passing second. Undoubtedly she was in immense pain with her eyes shut so tightly and apparently, her life force was being sucked out of her. I wanted to die out of helplessness.

"What's happening to her?" I cried as tears came in my eyes and started flowing down my cheeks. I couldn't see her in so much pain.

"It's her powers" Ms. McKenzie replied through gritted teeth. "I advised Rosalie to accept and embrace them long back. But she didn't. And without accepting them as a part of her, she continued to use them in abundance"

"So is this the after effect of non-acceptance?"

"Yes. Many people mistake their powers for some special abilities which are attributed to them to make them different and stronger than others. They cannot be more wrong. Powers are granted for a reason, for an important purpose. If you want to use it, then you should give it equal respect. If you don't treat it with dignity, it destroys you. Controlling your power is one thing, dominating it is another"

I looked at Rosalie. She was finding it nearly impossible to breathe.

"Will she be alright?"

"I'm trying my level best" Ms. McKenzie replied in a strained voice. I had no idea how was she trying to help Rosalie but I knew she had our best interest at heart. "But it won't be enough"

I wish I had some healing power through which I could have helped Rosalie but no, I was ordinary. Maybe not as ordinary as humans but in my world, I was undoubtedly the most simple person that could exist. Bella was powerful and in future she was going to get more powers as the Luna of Sunshine Pack. Rosalie too seemed to have her kitty full with super cool abilities which if used properly could do wonders for her and Emma, well, she had been the most special person I had ever met. Where did that leave me?

"Can I help in some way?" I asked in a feeble voice knowing it was a useless question. There was nothing I could do.

Ms. McKenzie shifted her gaze from Rosalie to me. I had no idea what was going on in her mind but the way her eyes hardened told me that she had made a decision.

"How badly do you want to help your friend?" she asked.

"Very badly" I replied without hesitation.

"Then there is something you can do"


End file.
